DETROIT (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Democratic Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib took to X on Monday to mourn the pause in operations at contractor-operated Job Corps centers nationwide by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL). The DOL announced a nationwide “phased pause” at Job Corps centers – including three in Michigan – citing a long-overdue internal review.

Tlaib called it a “reckless decision” by the Trump administration that will “leave many young people without housing and trapped in the cycle of poverty.”

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“This program is a lifeline,” she declared. Tlaib, along with other Democratic colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives, asked for a reversal in the decision to close the program. Penning a letter to DOL Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Tlaib, along with Hillary Scholten (M-03), Kristen McDonald Rivet (MI-08) and Shri Thanedar (MI-13) asked for an immediate reversal of the “abrupt decision to stop operations at Job Corps centers in Michigan and nationwide.”

According to the Job Corps Transparency Report, the three Michigan operations being paused include: Grand Rapids, which serves 208 students, costs over $66K per enrollee and has a 23.8% graduation rate; Flint, which serves 231 students, costs over $68K per enrollee and has a 47.8% graduation rate; and Detroit, which serves 321 students, costs over $51K per enrollee and has a 42.9% graduation rate.

Feds hit pause on Job Corps.

DOL said the pause was being initiated following an “internal review of the program’s outcome and structure and will be carried out in accordance with available funding.” They went on to say that the pause of operations at all contractor-operated Job Corps centers will occur by June 30.

DOL added, “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.”

What is Job Corps?

Job Corps is a federally funded residential program that’s been around for over 50 years and it’s supposed to help low-income youth ages 16 to 24 earn their high school credentials and gain job skills.

However, according to a recent Morning Wire podcast and actual data on the program, it’s clear to see that they’ve been failing miserably with that goal.

Alarming statistics on the program.

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The real issue isn’t the pause. It’s what’s been going on inside Job Corps for years –and no one in Washington seemed to care.

Stats produced by the DOL’s internal review show a dismal 38.6% graduation rate with the program and an average cost per student per year of $80,284.65, making the average total cost per graduate $155,600.74.

Because of these numbers, the DOL says, “The Job Corps program has faced significant financial challenges under its current operating structure. In PY (Program Year) 2024, the program operated at a $140 million deficit, requiring the Biden administration to implement a pause in center operations to complete the program year.”

Even more alarming is the data on the total number of serious incident reports for the 2023 program year which reached a whopping 14,913 infractions. Those included inappropriate sexual behavior and assaults, acts of violence reported, breaches of safety or security, reported drug use and total hospital visits.

Morning Wire report.

Additionally, Morning Wire’s deep dive into the Job Corps program by investigative reporter Luke Rosiak, on their Tuesday morning podcast was quite revealing. The Morning Wire podcast is a daily news program produced by The Daily Wire, a conservative media company founded in 2015 by Ben Shapiro and Jeremy Boreing.

Violence, fraud, and faked stats.

According to a recent exposé by American Wire, investigative reporter Luke Rosiak – who has followed the program for years – revealed that Job Corps campuses have long been plagued by violence and fraud. Among the shocking incidents: a 16-year-old transgender runaway was reportedly placed in housing with a 23-year-old man, who was later arrested for raping her in their shared dorm room.

About the program, Rosiak says, “A third of students are expelled, a third just abscond, and a third graduate.” Yet somehow this program is being pitched as a successful model.

Another scandal: The people cashing in on the chaos of a program that is largely outsourced. Rosiak accuses the contractors of fake job placement stats to keep the money flowing. He said, “Contractors were faking job statistics make it look like the training worked, and they were looking the other way at criminal behavior on campus, because if they expelled students, they get less revenue. Now, the Trump administration has terminated all contracts with those companies.”

A cash cow for contractors, not a trade pipeline.

While Democrats wail about vulnerable youth losing access to training, the Trump administration says it’s cleaning house – cutting out the grift, cracking down on dysfunction, and holding the worst- performing contractors accountable.

A few USDA-run centers remain open, accounting for one-fifth of the campuses. But instead of funneling billions into broken mini-campuses, Rosiak says the new push by the Trump Administration could be to bring back vocational training in high schools – where it arguably belongs. Rosiak says “To enroll (in Job Corps), you’re required to be on welfare, a refugee, high school dropout, illiterate, or a victim of sex trafficking, things like that. So this program appears to be more focused on directing funds to people from sort of the margins of society, even including criminals, rather than actually building up the trades.”

Contractors suing.

Not surprisingly, a coalition of Job Corps contractors is suing the Trump administration to stop the shutdown of Job Corps. According to Reuters, the lawsuit which was filed in Manhattan federal court, lawsuit argues that the Department of Labor is overstepping its authority by eliminating a program established by Congress, without the required public comment or congressional notification.

The National Job Corps Association claims the closure would devastate both vulnerable students and long-standing contractors. Plaintiffs are seeking a court order to keep Job Corps running during the legal fight.

Bottom line.

Yes, the pause means upheaval for some at-risk youth. But according to the Trump administration, it’s time to stop calling a dysfunctional, dangerous, and wildly expensive program a “lifeline.” Because if Job Corps is the lifeboat, that ship has already sunk.