Angus King asks Trump administration to reverse 'illegal' Job Corps cuts in Maine
Jun. 9—Sen. Angus King and 39 other senators are asking the U.S. Department of Labor to rescind "unconstitutional and illegal" cuts to Job Corps that they say are harming communities in Maine and across the country.
The Trump administration last month indefinitely paused operations at 99 Job Corps sites. In a letter Monday to Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, the senators said the administration's decision to terminate Job Corps center operations has left 25,000 students and thousands of staff members "in the lurch."
"The sudden 'pause' of operations at Job Corps centers puts young people's lives at risk, especially a significant number of students who were experiencing homelessness before arriving to the program," they wrote. "Local communities will pay a steep price, especially the thousands of individuals who work at the centers and will lose their livelihoods."
Job Corps, established in 1964, is the largest free residential education and job training program in the country. It helps young people ages 16-24 in rural communities finish high school, learn technical skills and get good-paying jobs.
The Department of Labor announced in April that it would not take new enrollments at the Penobscot and Loring Job Corps centers in Maine, saying the facilities "continue to face ongoing sustainability issues due to rising costs." The announcement said the department would continue to evaluate those and other facilities.
King, I-Maine, and the other senators — all Democrats, plus Vermont independent Bernie Sanders — are asking the administration to immediately reverse its decision to prevent a lapse in education and services for students. They also asked the Department of Labor to restart enrollments, resume background checks, and make any contract extensions or modifications needed to ensure there are no interruptions or delays.
Congress passed the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act of 2025, which includes $1.76 billion for Job Corps and ensures that Job Corps Centers are funded for the new program year that begins on July 1.
This story will be updated.
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