Latest news with #JobCorps
Axios
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Axios
Job Corps shutdown would displace thousands of young trainees
The Trump administration's move to shutter the nation's largest job training program for low-income youth has been blocked — at least for now — by a federal judge. Why it matters: Job Corps, which served over 29,000 students this year, has long been a lifeline for low-income youth — especially in underserved communities — offering job training, housing, and a path forward. The program was set to shutter June 30. Wednesday's federal court decision temporarily halts those closures, offering reprieve for students, staff and cities nationwide. Driving the news: U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter ruled that the administration lacked congressional authority to abruptly terminate the 60-year-old program, issuing a preliminary injunction while the lawsuit proceeds. What they're saying: The National Job Corps Association said Wednesday's preliminary injunction "is a lifeline." "It returns some stability to students who were displaced — some living in shelters — and to the communities that rely on Job Corps for skilled workers." State of play: Job Corps centers were set to close include locations in cities with large Black populations— like Cleveland, Gary, Miami, New Orleans, and Brooklyn —where the program has been an essential resource for underserved youth. Zoom in: Job Corps, though created under Lyndon B. Johnson's War on Poverty, isn't just a relic of the past. It's still shaping lives and has trained more than two million youth over six decades. Former students have gone on to become electricians, nurses and small business owners. Case in point: George Foreman, one of its earliest success stories, once said the program " saved my life." The big picture: The Trump administration's plan to shutter contractor-run Job Corps centers by June 30 has been temporarily blocked by a federal judge. The lawsuit argues the closures are illegal without congressional approval. Zoom out: The cutbacks mirror broader federal rollbacks on diversity initiatives, education equity, and youth mental health investments under Trump 2.0. The latest: Job Corps closures are hitting major cities hard — including the Atlanta area, Detroit, Chicago, Florida, New York and the Bay Area — where thousands of students ages 16–24 rely on the program for both job training and housing. Some were left scrambling after losing federal contracts; centers abruptly shut their doors. What they're saying: Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, one of the country's largest unions, said the AFT is working with government, labor, and industry to expand high-quality, paid apprenticeships — a critical pathway for the 40% of students who don't attend college. She called the Trump administration's move to pause Job Corps "cruel and destabilizing," adding: "If you care about giving young people a shot at a better life, you don't kick them out on the street." "We urge the administration: Do not turn your backs on these students." The other side: The Labor Department says the program is underperforming, citing a $213M deficit, low graduation rates, and serious safety issues as reasons for the pause. A spokesperson told Axios the department is "working closely with the Department of Justice to evaluate and comply with the temporary restraining order." "We remain confident that our actions are consistent with the law," they said. Between the lines: The Trump administration has promoted rising wages for blue-collar workers. But critics say gutting Job Corps — a longstanding training pipeline — undercuts that progress and disproportionately harms Black and Brown youth. Marcus W. Robinson, a DNC spokesperson, said the program has long been a lifeline for young Black men. In 2024, nearly 50% of Job Corps participants were Black youth, according to federal data. "Trump's repeated attempts to slash it aren't just policy choices — they're attacks on Black progress," he said. "If he gets his way, another pathway to opportunity will be closed — and that seems to be the goal."
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
Woburn-based rare earths refiner Phoenix Tailings eyes IPO within 3 years
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up GOVERNMENT Advertisement Federal judge orders US Labor Department to keep Job Corps running during lawsuit Evan Simpson, who was studying to become a medical assistant at a Job Corps center in Iowa before the Labor Department ordered a shutdown, at home in Chicago on June 16. AKILAH TOWNSEND/NYT A federal judge on Wednesday granted a preliminary injunction to stop the US Department of Labor from shutting down Job Corps, a residential program for low-income youth, until a lawsuit against the move is resolved. The injunction bolsters a temporary restraining order US District Judge Andrew Carter issued earlier this month, when he directed the Labor Department to cease removing Job Corps students from housing, terminating jobs, or otherwise suspending the nationwide program without congressional approval. Founded in 1964, Job Corps aims to help teenagers and young adults who struggled to finish traditional high school and find jobs. The program provides tuition-free housing at residential centers, training, meals and health care. 'Once Congress has passed legislation stating that a program like the Job Corps must exist, and set aside funding for that program, the DOL is not free to do as it pleases; it is required to enforce the law as intended by Congress,' Carter wrote in the ruling. Department of Labor spokesperson Aaron Britt said the department was working closely with the Department of Justice to evaluate the injunction. 'We remain confident that our actions are consistent with the law,' Britt wrote in an email to the Associated Press. — ASSOCIATED PRESS Advertisement CELLPHONES Trump Mobile drops 'Made in USA' smartphone claims from website In this photo illustration, an iPhone displays the website for The Trump Organization's mobile phone service and a Trump-branded smartphone. Joe Raedle/Getty Trump Mobile, the new cellular service venture introduced by the Trump Organization last week, has scrubbed online references that originally promised its first mobile handset, the T1 Phone, would be produced in the United States. As reported by the Verge on Wednesday, the Trump Mobile website quietly removed language stating that the smartphone — due later this year — is 'made in the USA.' Instead, the page now includes less specific wording that says the T1 Phone has been 'designed with American values in mind.' According to the description, the T1 Phone is 'brought to life right here in the USA' and 'with American hands behind every device.' But the website no longer asserts that it will be manufactured domestically. A representative for the Trump Organization didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement to USA Today, spokesperson Chris Walker rebutted the idea that production plans have changed. 'T1 phones are proudly being made in America,' Walker said, adding that 'speculation to the contrary is simply inaccurate.' — BLOOMBERG NEWS Advertisement ECONOMY Fed's Collins says July is likely too early for interest-rate cut Susan Collins, president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg Federal Reserve Bank of Boston President Susan Collins said she sees at least one interest-rate cut this year, but indicated July would be too early for such a move. 'We're only going to have really one more month of data before the July meeting,' Collins said Thursday in a phone interview with Bloomberg News. 'I expect to want to see more information than that.' Fed officials kept interest rates steady last week, arguing there's still elevated uncertainty over how the economy will react to a set of policy changes, particularly those around trade. Two Fed governors, Christopher Waller and Michelle Bowman, signaled after that decision they might back lowering rates as early as next month. But most policymakers who spoke this week made clear they aren't seriously considering a move in July. And Collins, who's a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee in 2025, joined that group. — BLOOMBERG NEWS OIL Shell says it has no intention of making an offer for BP The Shell Oil logo in front of a Shell gas station in Pittsburgh on June 25. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press Shell Plc said it has no intention of making a takeover offer for BP Plc, refuting an earlier report that two of Europe's biggest companies were in active merger talks. The announcement quells speculation that the UK's two oil majors would end up combining, following several years of poor performance from BP and rising pressure from activist shareholder Elliot Investment Management. Shell's statement means it is bound by the UK Takeover Code, largely preventing it from submitting an offer for BP for six months. 'In response to recent media speculation, Shell wishes to clarify that it has not been actively considering making an offer for BP,' it said in a statement on Thursday. The company 'has not made an approach to, and no talks have taken place with, BP with regards to a possible offer.' — BLOOMBERG NEWS Advertisement MEDIA Trump threatens to sue The Times and CNN over Iran reporting President Donald Trump spoke with reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday in Washington. Evan Vucci/Associated Press President Trump on Wednesday threatened to sue The New York Times and CNN for publishing articles about a preliminary intelligence report that said the American attack on Iran had set back the country's nuclear program by only a few months. In a letter to the Times, a personal lawyer for the president said the newspaper's article had damaged Trump's reputation and demanded that the news organization 'retract and apologize for' the piece, which the letter described as 'false,' 'defamatory' and 'unpatriotic.' The Times, in a response Thursday, rejected Trump's demands, noting that Trump administration officials had subsequently confirmed the existence of the report, issued by the Defense Intelligence Agency, and its findings. 'No retraction is needed,' the paper's lawyer, David McCraw, wrote in a letter. 'No apology will be forthcoming,' he added. 'We told the truth to the best of our ability. We will continue to do so.' A spokesperson for CNN, which was the first outlet to report elements of the preliminary report, confirmed that the network had responded to a similar legal threat from the president's team. Trump and his allies have sharply criticized the Times and CNN in recent days for publishing articles about the preliminary intelligence report, whose conclusions ran counter to the president's assertion that the American attack had 'obliterated' Iran's nuclear program. — NEW YORK TIMES Advertisement GOVERNMENT Trump administration to review contracts with consulting firms The General Services Administration building in Washington. Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press The Trump administration is asking consulting firms to justify their federal contracts as part of far-reaching efforts to reduce waste in federal spending, according to a letter obtained by Bloomberg News. The US General Services Administration said in a letter dated Thursday that it is soliciting information from the firms about their contracts to help 'critically evaluate which engagements deliver genuine value and demonstrable returns to the American taxpayer, and therefore merit external support, and which should be internalized to ensure we are responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars and avoid unnecessary spending.' The agency sent the letters to firms such as AlixPartners LLP, McKinsey & Co. Inc., Ernst & Young LLP, Alvarez & Marsal Inc., Boston Consulting Group Inc., and FTI Consulting Inc., according to a person familiar with the review. The GSA said in the letter its 'baseline presumption is that most, if not all, of these contracted services are not core to agency missions.' The agency asked the firms to provide 'a comprehensive overview of your firm's federal engagements, including spending patterns and pricing structures across all active and historical agreements,' in order to conduct its review. The firms were given a July 11 deadline to submit the information. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the letter. — BLOOMBERG NEWS
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
US judge extends block on Trump's bid to eliminate Job Corps program
By Daniel Wiessner and Blake Brittain (Reuters) -A U.S. judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from shutting down Job Corps, a major residential job training program for low-income youth. U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan said the abrupt shuttering of the 60-year-old program by the U.S. Department of Labor without authorization from Congress was likely illegal. The ruling came in a lawsuit by the National Job Corps Association, a trade group for contractors who operate Job Corps sites, and some of its members. Carter issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Labor Department from ending the program pending the outcome of the lawsuit, extending an emergency ruling he issued earlier in June. The NJCA said in a statement that the decision was "a lifeline for the tens of thousands of young people whose futures depend on the training, support and opportunities that Job Corps provides." The White House and Department of Labor did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the ruling. Job Corps was created by Congress in 1964 and allows people aged 16-24 from disadvantaged backgrounds to obtain high school diplomas or an equivalent, vocational certificates and licenses, and on-the-job training. The program currently serves about 25,000 people at 120 Job Corps centers run by contractors and has a $1.7 billion budget. Shuttering the program is a small piece of a broader effort by Trump, a Republican, and his appointees to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy, including by getting rid of some offices and agencies altogether. The Labor Department announced the end of the program in May, saying it was not cost-effective, had a low graduation rate and was not placing participants in stable jobs. The department also said there had been thousands of instances of violence, drug use and security breaches at Job Corps centers. The NJCA and other plaintiffs claim the Labor Department does not have the power to dismantle a program established and funded by Congress. Federal law allows the department to close individual Job Corps centers only after seeking public comment and notifying local members of Congress, according to the lawsuit. Ending Job Corps would have disastrous consequences for participants, contractors, and communities where centers are located, the plaintiffs said. Carter on Wednesday said the administration lacked the authority to shut down the program without congressional approval. "Once Congress has passed legislation stating that a program like the Job Corps must exist, and set aside funding for that program, the DOL is not free to do as it pleases; it is required to enforce the law as intended by Congress," Carter said.
Mint
3 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Trump's plan to shut Job Corps - key underprivileged training programme - blocked by federal judge: All you need to know
A US judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from shutting down Job Corps, a major residential job training program for low-income youth. U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter in Manhattan said the abrupt shuttering of the 60-year-old program by the U.S. Department of Labor without authorization from Congress was likely illegal. The ruling came in a lawsuit by the National Job Corps Association, a trade group for contractors who operate Job Corps sites, and some of its members. Carter issued a preliminary injunction stopping the Labor Department from ending the program pending the outcome of the lawsuit, extending an emergency ruling he issued earlier in June.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
US factories struggle to fill 400,000 open jobs
President Donald Trump's pledge to revive American manufacturing is running into the stubborn obstacle of demographic reality. The pool of blue-collar workers who are able and willing to perform tasks on a factory floor in the United States is shrinking. As baby boomers retire, few young people are lining up to take their place. About 400,000 manufacturing jobs are currently unfilled, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - a shortfall that will surely grow if companies are forced to rely less on manufacturing overseas and build more factories in the United States, experts say. Difficulty attracting and retaining a quality workforce has been consistently cited as a "top primary challenge" by US manufacturers since 2017, said Victoria Bloom, the chief economist at the National Association of Manufacturers, which produces a quarterly survey. The hiring challenges faced by US factories are multifaceted. The president's crackdown on immigration, which includes attempts to revoke deportation protections for migrants from troubled countries, may eliminate workers who could have filled those jobs. Many Americans aren't interested in factory jobs because they often do not pay enough to lure workers away from service jobs that may have more flexible schedules or comfortable working environments. For some companies, remaining globally competitive involves the use of sophisticated equipment that requires employees to have extensive training and familiarity with software. And employers cannot simply hire people right out of high school without providing specialised training to bring them up to speed. That wasn't the case in the heyday of American manufacturing. Attracting motivated young people to manufacturing careers is also a challenge when high school guidance counselors are still judged by how many students go on to college. College graduates, on the other hand, often do not have the right skills to be successful on a factory floor. Trump's aggressive cuts to training programmes for blue-collar workers have also hurt efforts to train a new generation of factory workers. The administration has taken steps to eliminate the Job Corps, a 60-year-old programme that provides at-risk youths from 16 to 24 with a path to a career in the
