Judge blocks Trump administration Job Corps centers' suspension

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked the Trump administration from suspending operations at Job Corps centers across the country.

U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter, an appointee of former President Obama, temporarily halted the government from taking further steps to eliminate the program, which offers free education and vocational training in addition to housing for disadvantaged young people aged 16-24.

In late May, the Department of Labor announced it would end operations at the centers, citing a “a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis.”

“We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program’s possibilities,” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement at the time.

But the plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the Trump administration, including the National Job Corps Association, said suspending the program is illegal. 

“It contravenes the statutory provisions governing Job Corps and DOL’s own regulations concerning the program, and it is fundamentally irrational,” the plaintiffs wrote, according to court documents.  

“Shuttering Job Corps will have disastrous, irreparable consequences, including displacing tens of thousands of vulnerable young people, destroying companies that have long operated Job Corps centers in reliance on the Government’s support for the program, and forcing mass layoffs of workers who support the program,” they added. 

Congressional leaders have echoed the same sentiments. 

Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) said the move to suspend operations at the centers is a step in the “wrong direction” adding that it would exacerbate her state’s workforce shortage, lock students out of good-paying jobs and hurt Wisconsin's economy.

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) agreed. 

“Congress appropriated funding for Job Corps, and the Trump Administration can’t just decide to not spend it because they want to make room for tax cuts for billionaires,” Baldwin said.