Nevada Democratic senator asks Trump administration to reconsider Job Corps cuts

(The Center Square) - Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nevada, has asked the Trump administration to reconsider its decision to eliminate funds for the Job Corps in America.

The JCA is America’s largest residential career training program, helping young people develop career skills.

In her letter to the Trump administration, Rosen said the JCA has helped “millions of young people” obtain education, training and career placement assistance. She added JCA plays a crucial role in supporting America’s at-risk youth in acquiring the skills necessary to secure employment and contribute to their communities.

“For decades, the Job Corps program has cultivated a strong and resilient workforce in Nevada, and eliminating the program will have detrimental consequences on the communities, employers, and youth that rely on it,” she wrote.

Rosen urged the Trump administration to “protect” the JCA and “reverse course on a reported stop work order” that would close the SNJCC and other centers nationwide.

The senator, in her letter last week, called the SNJCC a “key economic driver in Northern Nevada.” She said the center has served around 25,000 Nevadans since its opening in 1979.

Rosen cited numbers from JCA’s 2024 program year, which said almost 82% of its students had full-time jobs with a minimum starting wage of $17.97 per hour, which was nearly $6 higher than the state’s minimum wage.

If all Job Corps programs were to stop immediately, Rosen’s letter said, it would affect over 50,000 students nationwide, including more than 300 in Nevada.

And if SNJCC closed its doors, the center would need to evict the students who get room and board, Rosen said.

The vast majority of the students would face “homelessness” or “impoverished circumstances” without SNJCC’s dorms, the senator said.

According to Fox 11, SNJCC is set to shut down at the end of this week due to the funding cuts.

Last week, the Department of Labor announced that all contractor-operated Job Corps centers will end June 30.

The program was designed to help young adults establish a pathway to a “better life through education, training and community,” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

However, she said this is no longer happening.

“A startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve,” she said.

“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,” Chavez-DeRemer explained.

The DOL press release notes the JCA ran at a $140 million deficit in 2024. This year, it is projected to have a $213 million deficit.