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News Tuesday, Jun 13 2017

"Workforce Development?" Trump's Agenda Guts Vital Job-Training Programs

Jun 13, 2017

After last week’s less-than-successful “Infrastructure Week” — which, among other things, notably lacked a large-scale infrastructure investment proposal — the Trump Administration is pivoting to a new “Workforce Development Week” that similarly lacks any sort of plan to actually help people.

Even worse, as with so-called Infrastructure Week, the White House’s Workforce Development messaging is at odds with its policy agenda: far from upping investments in key programs that stimulate workforce development, President Trump’s early policy and budget proposals actually gut them.

“Trump is selling out American workers by ending workplace protections, ignoring workers who continue to be laid off, and trying to drastically cut opportunities for the next generation of American workers,” said American Bridge Vice President Shripal Shah. “Trump is pulling a long con on working families and selling out the American people by gutting essential workforce development programs — and doing it all just so he can gift huge tax cuts to billionaires like himself and his friends.”

The truth is, Trump is actively working to undermine the development of the new American workforce: 

  • Eliminate the Appalachian Regional Commission, which creates jobs while generating more money than it costs;
  • Eliminate the Rural Business and Cooperative Service that creates jobs in rural communities across the country;
  • Close certain Job Corps centers, where young American learn essential job skills that’ll help get good, high-paying jobs;
  • Shutter the Minority Business Development Agency, which helps minority-owned businesses grow and create new jobs;
  • Shut down the Senior Community Service Employment Program, which equips low-income seniors with new job skills;
  • Ending the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, which draws public sector employees to underserved regions;
  • Eliminating the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) Program, which works to lower college-access barriers for low-income students; and,
  • Cutting federally-subsidized student loans, making it more expensive for young people to earn college degrees.
Read more from from American Bridge’s latest Trump Policy Report: “Workforce Development Week.”

Published: Jun 13, 2017

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