Last Wednesday, a U.S. federal court issued a preliminary injunction to block the Trump administration from instituting a “phased pause” in operations at all contractor-operated Job Corps centers. The administration announced the pause on May 29 to become effective on June 30, 2025, and an earlier ruling delayed any action until the hearing on June 17.
Argentum has worked with Job Corps as part of our broader workforce development initiative, along with American Job Centers. It is important to note that Job Corps is a relatively small workforce development program specific for individuals ages 16-24, with annual enrollment of roughly 60,000 individuals at 120 centers. This is compared to the much larger American Job Centers, which serve roughly eight million individuals across nearly 2,400 centers.
Job Corps is currently funded through June 30, 2026, as part of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Full-Year Continuing Resolution Act, signed into law by President Trump in March, which appropriated $1.76 billion in funding for Job Corps. A bipartisan group of nearly 200 lawmakers sent a letter earlier this month to DOL Secretary Lori Chavez De-Remer to promote the program and advocate against the “phased pause” in operations.
The preliminary injunction prevents the Department of Labor from ending the program pending the outcome of the lawsuit. It allows current Job Corps students to return to their centers and continue their training and support programs. The lawsuit was led by the National Job Corps Association.
