During debate on the 2004 VA-HUD appropriations bill-a measure to provide funding for veterans' programs, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, NASA, the EPA, and other federal programs and independent agencies-Congressman Stearns (R-FL) proposed an amendment which would have cut $12 million in the bill for AmeriCorps and increased funding for veterans' medical and prosthetic research by $5 million. Progressives voted against the amendment despite their support for the additional funding for veterans' medical research as a way to protect the AmeriCorps program from budget cuts. In the view of Progressives, AmeriCorps volunteers play an invaluable role in providing important services and support for the least-advantaged citizens in the U.S. as well as impoverished individuals living abroad. With Republicans divided on the amendment and strong opposition from Democrats, the Stearns proposal was rejected 154-264.