From Opportunity To Abandonment: The Cruelty Of Ending Job Corps

Marc H. Morial, President and CEO, National Urban League

“We want to give every child a place to grow and learn—a chance to be proud of themselves and their country.” – President Lydon B. Johnson, on launching Job Corps in 1964

A war has been declared on our young people.

Government funding for protections against epidemics has been stripped from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services. Institutions of higher education are on pins and needles as National Institutes of Health funding cuts threaten their operations and their ability to retain faculty and staff. The U.S. Department of Education is actively undermining public schools’ ability to build inclusive, diverse teaching workforces that reflect the rich fabric of this nation.

But the latest inhumane assault is the decision to shutter a nearly 60-year-old federal program designed to house, train, and empower the most vulnerable young Americans: Job Corps.

Since its founding in 1964 as part of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, Job Corps has served more than two million young people ages 16 to 24. The program provides free education and vocational training, safe housing, meals, counseling, and job placement support. It has long been a beacon of hope for youth disconnected from school and work—offering not just opportunity, but dignity and direction.

That beacon is now being extinguished.

Last week, the Trump Administration directed the Department of Labor to halt new student enrollments and begin the process of shutting down Job Corps centers across the country. The decision is both abrupt and devastating. Students—many of whom are housing insecure, survivors of trauma, or aging out of foster care—are being cast out with no warning, no alternatives, and nowhere to go.

Centers in communities from Alaska to Alabama have begun closing their doors. Students have been sent away mid-training, with no guarantees of completion or transition support. For many, Job Corps was not just a lifeline—it was the only line.

Let’s be clear: this is not about fiscal responsibility. Job Corps has long enjoyed bipartisan support because of its proven impact. According to the Department of Labor’s own data, Job Corps participants are more likely to be employed, earn higher wages, and less likely to commit crimes. The program returns more than $2 for every taxpayer dollar invested.

Ending it is not just shortsighted. It is immoral. And it is un-American.

A nation that claims to believe in liberty and justice for all does not shut the door on youth seeking a second chance. A country that prides itself on being the land of opportunity does not abandon its young people to the streets. The dismantling of Job Corps is not just a policy choice—it is a betrayal.

We must fight back.

The National Urban League stands in fierce opposition to the shutdown of Job Corps. We call on Congress to intervene immediately to restore funding, halt center closures, and protect the future of our young people. We urge mayors, governors, educators, civil rights leaders, and everyday citizens to raise their voices and demand justice.

To harm our youth is to harm the soul of this nation. And we refuse to be silent as our future is left to fend for itself.