President Donald Trump has decided to pause the Job Corps, the Great Society work training program that costs taxpayers $1.7 billion a year with little to show for it.
The move -- which was first reported by Fox News -- is sure to come as a shock in Washington D.C., where the Job Corps has long enjoyed broad support in Congress despite its flaws.
The Job Corps was established half a century ago as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty. Meant to lift poor young people into stable careers, the program has been failing its students for years -- and even putting them in harm's way.
A new analysis from the Labor Department found the average graduation rate is a meager 38%, and most of those who do complete their training are not moving up in life, with an average salary of $16,695 after graduation. Meanwhile, the average cost of training a Job Corps graduate is a steep $155,600.
There have also been issues with crime and drugs at the Job Corps centers, where many students live while they train.
There were 14,913 "serious incidents" in 2023 alone, including 372 sexual incidents, 1,764 violent acts, 1,167 breaches of safety of security, 2,702 instances of drug use, and 1,808 hospital visits. For context, the Job Corps enrolls 25,000 students.
Past investigations into the Job Corps have also found evidence of fraudulent reporting designed to inflate the success of its students. A CBS report from 2014 found that many job placements -- up to 85% -- were fake, and officials often failed to report criminal activity.
The program has also been on shaky financial footing for years, leading to "constant uncertainty for participants and administrators," a Department of Labor official told Fox News Digital.
The Trump administration's pause will take effect by June 30 at the 99 Job Corps centers operated by private contractors. The other 24 centers are managed by the Department of Agriculture.
"Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer told Fox News Digital. "However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve."
"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," she added.
There will be "an orderly transition" and current students will be connected with employment and training opportunities through state and local workforce partners, the administration said.
Trump cannot dissolve the Job Corps, which was established by law, without an act of Congress. Despite its financial, safety, and performance issues, the Job Corps has defenders in both parties who say it remains a lifeline of opportunity for disadvantaged young people.
Senate Appropriations chair Susan Collins, a Republican representing the largely rural state of Maine, said the two Job Corps centers in her state "have become important pillars of support for some of our most disadvantaged young adults."
Collins added, “That’s why at an Appropriations hearing just last week, I urged Secretary Chavez-DeRemer to resume enrollment at Maine’s two Job Corps centers and to reverse the Department’s proposed elimination of the Job Corps program."
