Senator Murray on Administration’s decision to close Job Corps centers: Students and staff “deserve to know why the Trump Administration is choosing to abdicate its responsibility to run this important program”
Senator Murray urged Secretary of Labor Acosta to reverse the decision to close centers, and pushed for answers as to how and why the decision was made
(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) released the statement below following the announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reverse its decision to transfer operations of all USDA Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers (Job Corps CCC) to the Department of Labor (DOL), which would have resulted in the permanent closure of one center in Washington state and uncertainty for the students, faculty and staff at all three Washington state Job Corps CCC sites.
“As I made clear, the Trump Administration’s proposal to abandon Job Corps Civilian Conservations Centers was a bad idea from the start, and I’m pleased the Department of Agriculture listened and walked back its decision. The centers in Washington state and across the country provide at-risk youth in rural areas with skills and training they need and help protect and conserve our environment, and I’m going to keep working to ensure they have the resources they need to continue to thrive.”
Job Corps CCCs provide job training and economic opportunities to thousands of at-risk youth in rural areas, including nearly 450 students at three centers in Washington state. The program also helps the U.S. Forest Service conserve, develop, and manage public lands and parks, and respond to natural disasters like wildfires and hurricanes. Senator Murray first criticized the decision when it was announced and vowed to fight against this decision, and followed up with a letter to Secretary of Labor Acosta seeking answers as to how and why the decision to close and restructure the centers was made.
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