Schumer Announces Job Corps Centers to Remain Open After Trump Administration Fully Rescinds Plan to Close One of America’s Largest Job Training Programs

After Trump Attempted To Eliminate Job Corps Program, Schumer Announces Trump Admin Formally Backs Off Plan To Shut Down America’s 99 Job Corps Centers That Provide Workforce Training For Tens of Thousands of Americans Each Year Five Job Corps Centers In Upstate NY – Located In Albany, Sullivan, Orleans, Oneonta & Chautauqua – Help Workers Get Skills Needed To Access Careers In Healthcare, Construction, Manufacturing, And Other Fields Schumer: A Win-Win-Win For Students, Small Businesses, & Upstate Communities After Schumer stood at Job Corps centers across Upstate NY to lead the fight to protect one of the nation’s largest and most effective workforce training programs from Trump’s effort to eliminate it, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer announced the Trump administration has officially rescinded its plan to shut down America’s 99 Job Corps centers. A new federal settlement agreement between Job Corps and the Trump administration includes protections against the closing of Job Corps campuses and stopping of operations, among other provisions. Schumer explained that the Job Corps centers and programming help train tens of thousands of students across America each year, including thousands in New York, providing them with the skills they need to enter in-demand fields. “When the Trump administration announced that Job Corps was going to be eliminated, I got to work to protect it—traveling across Upstate New York to stand shoulder to shoulder with students, staff, and small businesses that have seen firsthand the benefits of this program. Today, I’m proud to announce that the administration has officially backed off its ill-conceived plan to close one of America’s largest workforce training programs,” said Senator Schumer. “Saving Job Corps is a win-win-win because students get the skills they need to get a good job, small businesses get the trained workforce they need to grow, and Upstate communities get a boost to their economies. Job Corps is about more than training. It’s about giving people across Upstate New York a pathway to a good-paying career, strengthening local communities, and building the healthcare, construction, and manufacturing workforce that will keep our state strong. And I’ll always fight to protect it.” After hearing about Trump’s proposed cuts, Schumer traveled to Job Corps centers across Upstate New York, from the Iroquois Job Corps center in Orleans County to the Cassadaga Job Corps center in Chautauqua County and the Oneonta Job Corps Center in Otsego County , to stand with students, staff, and small business owners and demand we protect this vital pipeline for skilled workers to fill jobs. Earlier this year, the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education funding bill rejected Trump’s call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion in federal funding to keep them open. Schumer also secured language that blocks the closure of Job Corps centers unless such closures meet specific requirements. In May 2025, Trump paused operations at Job Corps centers nationwide. Afterward, a federal judge temporarily blocked Trump from shutting down Job Corps centers , and another federal judge said operations must resume until the previous case is resolved . Schumer explained that the Trump administration not only attempted to shut down Job Corps centers, but in his budget request, Trump said he wanted to totally zero out funding for the program, effectively killing the program without needing the approval of federal courts. In addition to fighting back on Trump’s proposed elimination of funds for Job Corps in the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill, Schumer led efforts in the Senate to oppose the Trump administration’s destructive and potentially illegal actions like pausing existing funds for the Job Corps centers. Schumer called on U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to protect Job Corps and demanded answers on these destructive efforts. Due to Schumer’s leadership, the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education funding bill rejected Trump’s call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion in federal funding—consistent with the previous year—to keep them open and includes language to protect against efforts to illegally shut down specific centers. Schumer said Job Corps centers have helped millions of young people ages 16 to 24 finish high school, learn technical skills, and get jobs in in-demand fields such as healthcare and construction. Low-income and at-risk young people have received stable housing and healthcare while developing the skills they need to get good-paying jobs after graduation. Across Upstate NY, centers in Albany, Sullivan, Orleans, Otsego, and Chautauqua Counties serve thousands of young New Yorkers and employ over 500 staff. To learn more about Job Corps, visit https://www.jobcorps.gov , or to apply, visit https://enroll.jobcorps.gov . ###