Washington state, along with a coalition of 21 others, has stepped up to support the Job Corps program, which has been facing the threat of termination - a move that could leave thousands of low-income young Americans without crucial support. According to a news release provided by the Washington Attorney General's office, Attorney General Nick Brown filed an amicus brief urging a U.S. District court to uphold a preliminary injunction against the termination of the program.
Last week, the job training and housing program, which has been in existence for six decades, was granted a temporary lifeline when the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York issued an injunction in its favor. The current administration's attempt to shutter the program was deemed potentially unlawful, and Washington has been leading the charge to permanently halt these efforts. The brief points out that "in the sixty years since Congress created Job Corps, millions of young Americans from low-income backgrounds have been served by the program's unique combination of education, training, housing, healthcare and community," as reported by the Attorney General's Office.
The coalition, which includes states ranging from California to Massachusetts, underscores the broad support for Job Corps, which currently operates nearly 100 campuses nationwide. The abrupt termination proposed by the federal government stands to not only disrupt the education and job training of participants but also strip many of housing security. Among those affected would be individuals at the Cascades Job Corps Center in Sedro-Woolley, Washington and the Tongue Point Job Corps Center in Astoria, Oregon — many of whom were unhoused or in foster care prior to joining the program.
In the amicus brief filed in the case of Cabrera et al. v. Department of Labor et al., Attorney General Brown, alongside Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford, emphasized the necessity to keep the injunction in place. Arguing to protect those vulnerable state residents, the coalition asserted that the Trump administration's move to end a congressionally mandated program it opposes cannot proceed without violating federal law and the Constitution. "Today’s brief was filed in Cabrera et al. v. Department of Labor et al. in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia," as per the statement made by the Washington Attorney General's office.
