With the news of the Trump Administration attempting to dismantle Job Corps, you may be wondering what this federal program is all about.
Allow me to explain.
Job Corps is the nation’s largest career technical training and educational program for low-income youth ages 16 through 24. In Alabama, our two Job Corps centers have allowed some of our most vulnerable young people to complete their education, get certified in a trade, and receive hands-on training in numerous career areas, all without having to worry about paying for housing or meals.
But having visited the Montgomery Job Corps numerous times, I can tell you firsthand that for so many students, it is more than just a job training program; it is a lifeline.
Not only does it prepare students for successful careers, but it provides a real pathway out of poverty for at-risk youth. For many, it offers a sense of stability, purpose, and community when there is none.
And for more than 4,500 Job Corps students nationwide—including more than 30 in Alabama—Job Corps is a respite from homelessness. Without it, those students would have no place to go.
But Job Corps isn’t just good for our young people; it’s good for our entire state. Here in Alabama, employers have benefited tremendously from having a pipeline of skilled workers to fill job openings in everything from health care to welding to construction and IT.
Closing Job Corps centers—as the Trump Administration has sought to do—would be disastrous. Their directive has already caused needless chaos as staff scramble to support their students despite being locked out of their internal systems and ordered to wind down operations.
If the Administration succeeds, the harm will be irreparable. Vulnerable children will be left out on the street, cut off from housing and meals. Students will have their future plans upended despite years of working toward their degrees and certifications. Job Corps staff will face mass layoffs and the businesses who have poured time and resources into training Job Corps students will see the returns on their investment dry up.
If the human impact doesn’t convince you, the numbers should. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, workforce participation remains well below pre-pandemic levels, with 1.7 million Americans missing from the workforce in April compared to February of 2020. As lawmakers, we hear every day from industry leaders who are facing challenges trying to find enough workers to fill job openings.
At a time when the private sector is clamoring for more workers, we should be strengthening workforce development pipelines, not dismantling them. But yet again, this administration appears to be more concerned about enriching their billionaire donors than solving our nation’s most pressing challenges.
This recklessness is unacceptable—and frankly, illegal—and we as lawmakers have a responsibility to speak out against it.
I recently signed a letter to President Trump’s Labor Secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, supporting the continuation of Job Corps. The letter was signed by 199 Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, and was led by my Republican colleague from Kentucky, Congressman Brett Guthrie.
That’s because preserving Job Corps isn’t a Democratic or Republican issue. Or at least, it shouldn’t be.
While I may disagree with my Republican colleagues on many national issues, we share the belief that our state is better off when our kids get the resources they need to achieve their God-given potential. Through the years, I have been proud to work across the aisle to support workforce development initiatives in Alabama.
I hope that we can bring that same spirit of bipartisanship to this fight.
We frequently hear from conservatives about the importance of self-reliance and personal responsibility. If Republicans truly believe in pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, then Job Corps is exactly the kind of program they should support.
It is not a handout; it is a hand up—a way for us to empower some of our most disadvantaged young Americans to take control of their futures and do better for themselves and their families.
While I am encouraged by the recent court ruling temporarily blocking the Administration from shuttering Job Corps centers, I hope we can count on more Republican officials to join the growing chorus and speak out against this travesty.
Job Corps is worth fighting for. Let’s work together to protect and strengthen it.
