This story is part of our Quick Hits series. This series will bring you breaking news and short updates from throughout the state.
A federal trade program for low-income young people will remain open — at least for now. A district judge in New York prevented a shutdown of Job Corps sites across the country on June 25.
Last month, the U.S. Department of Labor cited budget deficits as a reason for closing the doors on over 120 sites, including one in Riverton, Wyoming and eight others across the Mountain West region in Arizona, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming.
Supporters of the program sued, and Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr granted their request for a preliminary injunction order.
“Once Congress has passed legislation stating that a program like the Job Corps must exist, and set aside funding for that program, the [Department of Labor] is not free to do as it pleases; it is required to enforce the law as intended by Congress,” the order in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York stated.
Some in Congress are also critical of the program and could attempt to strip its funding in the next federal budget.
Amid the uncertainty, supporters say Job Corps sites around the country have lost at least 30% of their students. At the Wyoming site, students estimate that more than half of their fellow students have left.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by CPB.
