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Politico
14-07-2025
- Business
- Politico
Trump's DOL bets the house on apprenticeships
QUICK FIX TRAINING DAY: There are two things Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer talks about: the string of stronger-than-expected job reports under President Donald Trump and expanding the number of apprentices across the country. She has visited several training facilities on a 50-state tour since being sworn in in March, and signed a deal in April to launch a national apprentice program for firefighters and emergency responders at the DOL's D.C. headquarters. 'We know that we're not going to see four-year universities deliver all of that workforce,' Chavez-DeRemer said during a keynote speech at the Western Governors' Association conference last month. Trump has set a goal of having at least 1 million active apprentices, and Chavez-DeRemer told WGA attendees that she personally would like to go well beyond that mark and reach 1.2 million apprentices to 'really deliver on this.' More than 145,000 people have entered apprenticeship programs since Trump returned to the White House earlier this year and there are nearly 700,000 registered apprentices nationwide, according to the Labor Department. But the high-stakes bet is happening at an awkward moment. The Trump administration has spent months hobbling labor regulators, rolling back worker-friendly rules, antagonizing unions, slashing jobs across the federal government and paring back money for other workforce development programs. 'People talk a good game about, 'Oh, we need more [apprentices],'' AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler said in an interview. 'But if you're not willing to invest in the infrastructure around that, it's meaningless.' Even some employers who make extensive use of apprentices are wary of relying on it as the sole solution to fill the need for skilled labor. 'We see Registered Apprenticeships as one of many different workforce development solutions,' said Michael Altman, senior manager of federal regulatory affairs at the Associated Builders and Contractors. 'There are many construction contractors that have their own kind of on-the-job training that do not align with Registered Apprenticeships.' Trump talked a big game on apprenticeships during his first term, but DOL spent much of those four years establishing a parallel apprenticeship model that would give employer groups a greater hand in designing and overseeing training programs that was subsequently short-circuited by the Biden administration. As such the emphasis on Registered Apprenticeships — which unions and Democrats also favor — is a marked shift for Trump this go-around. More for Pro subscribers here. GOOD MORNING. It's Monday, July 14. Welcome back to Morning Shift, your go-to tipsheet on labor and employment-related immigration. Send feedback, tips and exclusives to nniedzwiadek@ lukenye@ rdugyala@ and gmott@ A new Clipse album and a Tiny Desk concert is the stuff of your aging millennial host's dreams. Follow us on X at @NickNiedz and @Lawrence_Ukenye. And Signal @nickniedz.94. Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You'll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day's biggest stories. LEGAL BATTLES INJUNCTION JUNCTION: The Trump administration on Friday told a federal judge in Manhattan that his order barring DOL from shutting down Job Corps centers across the country violates a recent Supreme Court ruling against sweeping nationwide injunctions and needs to be substantially pared back. Late last month Judge Andrew Carter Jr., an appointee of former President Barack Obama, blocked DOL from moving forward with its plan to indefinitely suspend operations at all privately run Job Corps centers. (A group of centers run by the Agriculture Department's Forest Service was unaffected.) But shortly thereafter, he asked the two sides to brief him on how to adjust his ruling in light of the high court's holding in Trump v. Casa. In their brief, administration attorneys told Carter that instead of applying to all 99 centers threatened by DOL's plan, his order should be limited to just 30-plus operated by the contractors or attended by students who brought the lawsuit. The challengers have argued that the Supreme Court's ruling does not apply in this circumstance and that the universal relief should stay in place. AROUND THE AGENCIES TRANS TURNABOUT: The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is taking a step toward evaluating workplace discrimination claims filed by transgender people after the agency began automatically classifying them as meritless upon Trump taking office and designating Andrea Lucas acting chair, The Washington Post reports. In a July 1 email to staff, 'Thomas Colclough, director of the agency's field operations, said the EEOC will process cases that 'fall squarely' under the 2020 Supreme Court precedent Bostock v. Clayton County, which found that firing transgender workers because of their gender identity violates the Civil Rights Act of 1964. … If the agency finds enough evidence that discrimination took place, gender identity cases will still be reviewed by a senior attorney as well as the office of the chair, Colclough wrote.' Immigration FICKLE AMERICA: A new poll shows record-high support for immigration amid President Donald Trump's controversial mass deportation campaign, our Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing reports. Seventy-nine percent of American adults think immigration is good for the country, according to a new Gallup poll released Friday. And the share of Americans who want immigration reduced dropped sharply from 55 to 30 percent since last year's poll. Meanwhile, disapproval of Trump's immigration approach outweighs approval by 27 percentage points, potentially complicating the president's strategy on a policy area that he has made a cornerstone of his presidential agenda. K STREET ON E VISAS: The U.S. Immigration Fund, a Florida-based company that helps foreign investors secure permanent residency, is enlisting Greenberg Traurig as Trump's idea to let affluent people buy their way into the country threatens its business, POLITICO Influence reports. USIF acts as a broker for EB-5 visas by connecting businesses with foreign investors, but the so-called gold card program proposed by Trump earlier this year has been eyed to replace the program. Opinion: 'The Economic Drain of Mass Deportation,' from The Wall Street Journal. Unions SMOKED UP: A New York City cannabis licensee is rankling against a provision in the state's legalization law designed to promote 'labor peace' and asked a federal court to do away with the requirement, our Mona Zhang reports for Pro subscribers. Gotham — a self-described 'mission driven, arts-and-culture-forward' New York City cannabis dispensary — is arguing that it violates the company's constitutional rights. 'We are proceeding with legal action to not only protect our business … but more importantly, our right to be heard,' Joanne Wilson, the owner of Hybrid NYC LLC, Gotham's parent company, said in a statement to POLITICO about the lawsuit. '[T]he current law stifles the growth of this young industry.' In the Workplace SUB-PRIME: The Trump administration's termination of Temporary Protected Status and similar programs that allow foreign-born people to legally work in the U.S. is pulling the rug on thousands of workers and big-name employers like Amazon, The New York Times reports. Hundreds of workers were let go at a West Jefferson, Ohio, facility alone that had a sizable number of Haitian immigrants, and others were given just days to come up with alternative work authorizations or risk losing their jobs. Cold comfort: ''Change is never easy, and I know this news may be difficult for many of you,' Amazon's internal talking points advised managers to tell their workers at the start of the next shifts,' according to the Times. More workplace news: 'How AmeriCorps Kept Young Talent in Rural Communities,' from Washington Monthly. WHAT WE'RE READING — 'Trump Loves ICE. Its Workforce Has Never Been So Miserable,' from The Atlantic. — 'Vance plans to kick off admin efforts to tout Trump's agenda bill with Pennsylvania visit,' from CNN. — 'Immigration Raids Reveal Holes in Government's Tool to Verify Workers,' from The Wall Street Journal. — 'Bill in Congress would prevent schools from using student fees to bankroll college sports,' from The Associated Press. THAT'S YOUR SHIFT!
Winnipeg Free Press
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Trump can't see the forest for the trees
Opinion Drill, baby drill — and it would seem, cut, baby, cut. In addition to his ongoing tariff war, a successful budget bill that seeks to strip Medicaid and food benefits from millions, and an 'anti-immigrant' crackdown which has seen legal-status American residents arrested and imprisoned abroad with little or no recourse, U.S. President Donald Trump has also had just about enough of all the trees cluttering up his country. Trump's administration is on track to strip federal protections from 59 million acres of national forest, opening it up to logging. The Associated Press U.S. President Donald Trump This is, one supposes, part of his master plan to wean his country off of Canadian lumber, which he has stated in the past the U.S. does not need. According to The Guardian, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the move at a meeting of the Western Governors' Association in Santa Fe, N.M. During that meeting, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum described Trump's plans to use more homegrown resources for manufacturing purposes. The meeting follows an executive order issued in March. The environmental implications of this are obvious. In a time where the backlash of our changing climate is affecting people across the world, cutting down more carbon-capturing trees in the name of manufacturing and profit is a backward move, plain and simple. Trump's administration has made gestures toward there being some environmental benefit to more logging — claiming that, since the restrictions prevent any roads from being built through millions of acres of forest, it is more difficult to combat wildfires. But this argument must contend with the reality that, according to the U.S. National Park Service, nearly 85 per cent of wildfires in the U.S. are caused by humans — who must be accessing those forests from a nearby road. It comes as no surprise that the Trump administration's rationale is faulty. Trump and his cabinet make these kind of arguments because they must, not because they believe in them. The real reason Trump is gung-ho to cut down millions of acres of forest is as simple as it is petty: he doesn't want to have to pay the sticker price on another country's lumber, and he's willing to jeopardize the long-term ecological health of his own country out of spite. The consequences will not be limited to fewer trees and hotter temperatures. According to environmental groups in the U.S., such as the Sierra Club and Earthjustice, point out that logging activities pose a risk to drinking water supplies, and destroy the habitats for wildlife across the United States. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. And this is far from the only environmentally unfriendly action he has taken — as of May, Trump had taken more than 140 actions to strip away rules protecting air and water quality. Depending on what part of the world you live in, American hostility and belligerence toward others might be nothing new. But it's difficult to conceive of any other point where an American president, by his actions, seemed so plainly hostile to both the international community and his own citizens. Between his militaristic posturing in Iran, his treatment of millions of poor and marginalized Americans or legal immigrants, and his disdain for environmental concerns, he is a unique problem for the global community. It does not seem unfair to say he is hostile to the long-term well-being of the human race in general. However much trade relationships might seem important to America's international partners and allies — yes, including Canada — it is time to speak up about the many, many reckless and galling move this administration is making. And it's time to play hardball to force a change of course in the U.S., to limit the scope of the damage Trump intends to do.
Yahoo
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump rescinds protections on 59m acres of national forest to allow logging
The Trump administration will rescind protections that prevent logging on nearly a third of national forest lands, including the largest old growth forest in the country, the agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, announced on Monday. The announcement will be followed by a formal notice rescinding the 'roadless rule', a nickname for the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule, in coming weeks, the Associated Press reports. The rule prohibits road building and logging on all national forest land without roads, accounting for about 59m acres (24m hectares) of US national forest land. Rollins shared the news at a gathering of the Western Governors' Association in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where hundreds had gathered outside to protest against congressional efforts to sell off large swaths of public lands. There, the interior secretary, Doug Burgum, spoke of a new 'era of abundance' on public lands, describing Donald Trump's efforts to extract more natural resources for domestic manufacturing. 'President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to commonsense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule,' said Rollins. 'This move opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests. It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land.' Republican lawmakers from western states celebrated the announcement while environmental groups expressed dismay. On social media, the Republican representative for Alaska, Nick Begich, said: 'Alaska's forests are one of our state's greatest natural assets and the 'Roadless Rule' has long stifled responsible forest management, blocked access to critical resources, and halted economic opportunity.' Related: Logging is quietly ravaging US forests. Trump is taking an axe to protections The Republican congresswoman Harriet Hageman of Wyoming also posted on social media, writing: 'This outdated policy has long hindered effective forest management.' Meanwhile, the Sierra Club's forest campaign manager, Alex Craven, said in a statement: 'Once again, the Trump administration is ignoring the voices of millions of Americans to pursue a corporate giveaway for his billionaire buddies. Stripping our national forests of roadless rule protections will put close to 60m acres of wildlands across the country on the chopping block. That means polluting our clean air and drinking water sources to pad the bottom lines of timber and mining companies – all while pursuing the same kind of mismanagement that increases wildfire severity.' In its announcement, the US Department of Agriculture cited concerns about increasing wildfire risk as reasoning for constructing roads through national forest land: 'Nearly 60% of forest service land in Utah is restricted from road development and is unable to be properly managed for fire risk. In Montana, it is 58%, and in Alaska's Tongass national forest, the largest in the country, 92% is impacted.' Journalist Ben Goldfarb, author of the book Crossings: How Road Ecology Is Shaping the Future of Our Planet, questioned that logic on social media, writing: the 'vast majority of fires occur near roads. They're worsening risk'. The decision also aligns with Trump's executive order 'Unleashing Prosperity Through Deregulation', the USDA said, to 'get rid of overcomplicated, burdensome barriers that hamper American business and innovation'. During the latter part of Trump's first term, the federal government lifted restrictions on logging and road-building in the Tongass, something the Biden administration later reversed. Associated Press contributed reporting
Los Angeles Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
GOP plan to sell more than 3,200 square miles of federal lands is found to violate Senate rules
WASHINGTON — A plan to sell more than 3,200 square miles of federal lands has been ruled out of Republicans' big tax and spending cut bill after the Senate parliamentarian determined the proposal by Senate Energy Chairman Mike Lee would violate the chamber's rules. Lee, a Utah Republican, has proposed selling millions of acres of public lands in the West to states or other entities for use as housing or infrastructure. The plan would revive a longtime ambition of Western conservatives to cede lands to local control after a similar proposal failed in the House earlier this year. The proposal received a mixed reception Monday from the governors of Western states. New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, a Democrat, called it problematic in her state because of the close relationship residents have with public lands. Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, a Republican, voiced qualified support. 'On a piece-by-piece basis where states have the opportunity to craft policies that make sense ... we can actually allow for some responsible growth in areas with communities that are landlocked at this point,' he said at a news conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where the Western Governors' Association was meeting. Lee, in a post on X Monday night, said he would keep trying. 'Housing prices are crushing families and keeping young Americans from living where they grew up. We need to change that,'' he wrote, adding that a revised plan would remove all U.S. Forest Service land from possible sale. Sales of sites controlled by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management would be significantly reduced, Lee said, so that only land within 5 miles of population centers could be sold. Environmental advocates celebrated the ruling late Monday by Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough, but cautioned that Lee's proposal was far from dead. 'This is a victory for the American public, who were loud and clear: Public lands belong in public hands, for current and future generations alike,'' said Tracy Stone-Manning, president of The Wilderness Society. 'Our public lands are not for sale.' Carrie Besnette Hauser, president and CEO of the nonprofit Trust for Public Land, called the procedural ruling in the Senate 'an important victory in the fight to protect America's public lands from short-sighted proposals that would have undermined decades of bipartisan work to protect, steward and expand access to the places we all share.' 'But make no mistake: this threat is far from over,' Hauser added. 'Efforts to dismantle our public lands continue, and we must remain vigilant as proposals now under consideration,' including plans to roll back the bipartisan Great American Outdoors Act and cut funding for land and water conservation, make their way through Congress, she said. MacDonough, the Senate parliamentarian, also ruled out a host of other Republican-led provisions Monday night, including construction of a mining road in Alaska and changes to speed permitting of oil and gas leases on federal lands. While the parliamentarian's rulings are advisory, they are rarely, if ever, ignored. Lawmakers are using a budget reconciliation process to bypass the Senate filibuster to pass President Trump's tax-cut package by a self-imposed July Fourth deadline. Lee's plan revealed sharp disagreement among Republicans who support wholesale transfers of federal property to spur development and generate revenue, and other lawmakers who are staunchly opposed. Land in 11 Western states from Alaska to New Mexico would be eligible for sale. Montana was carved out of the proposal after lawmakers there objected. In states such as Utah and Nevada, the government controls the vast majority of lands, protecting them from potential exploitation but hindering growth. 'Washington has proven time and again it can't manage this land. This bill puts it in better hands,' Lee said in announcing the plan. Housing advocates have cautioned that federal land is not universally suitable for affordable housing. Some of the parcels up for sale in Utah and Nevada under a House proposal were far from developed areas. New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich, the ranking Democrat on the energy committee, said Lee's plan would exclude Americans from places where they fish, hunt and camp. 'I don't think it's clear that we would even get substantial housing as a result of this,' Heinrich said earlier this month. 'What I know would happen is people would lose access to places they know and care about and that drive our Western economies.' Daly writes for the Associated Press.
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump administration to remove protections on 59 million acres of National Forest lands
The Trump administration will strip protections that prevent logging on nearly 59 million acres of National Forest System lands, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced Monday. Rollins made the announcement at a meeting of the Western Governors' Association in New Mexico. In a press release, the Trump administration described the current rule, which prevents road building logging and mining in large swaths of national forest, as 'overly restrictive.' 'Once again, President Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule,' Rollins said in statement. 'It is abundantly clear that properly managing our forests preserves them from devastating fires and allows future generations of Americans to enjoy and reap the benefits of this great land,' she added. The rule in question, known as the Roadless Rule, was first issued by the outgoing Clinton administration in 2001. The Clinton administration said at the time it was prohibiting cutting down these trees because doing so would have 'the greatest likelihood of altering and fragmenting landscapes, resulting in immediate, long-term loss of roadless area values and characteristics.' Areas currently protected by the Roadless Rule include 92 percent of the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, where eagles, bears, salmon can be found alongside vast Alaskan vistas. The rule also protects 60 percent of forest service land in Utah and 58 percent of forest service land in Montana. Conservation advocates blasted the announcement. 'Stripping our national forests of roadless rule protections will put close to 60 million acres of wildlands across the country on the chopping block. That means polluting our clean air and drinking water sources to pad the bottom lines of timber and mining companies,' said Alex Craven, the Sierra Club's forest campaign manager, in a written statement. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
