SCHUMER: HANDS OFF UPSTATE NY’S JOB CORPS; STANDING IN ORLEANS COUNTY WITH FINGER LAKES STUDENTS, STAFF, & SMALL BUSINESSES STUCK IN LIMBO FOLLOWING TRUMP’S ORDER TO SHUT DOWN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL LOCAL JOB TRAINING PROGRAM, SENATOR LEADS FIGHT TO REVERSE TRUMP CUTS, DEMANDS NY HOUSE REPUBLICANS JOIN HIM TO DELIVER FUNDING TO CONTINUE ONE OF AMERICA’S LARGEST JOB TRAINING PROGRAMS

Orleans County’s Iroquois Job Corps Center Provides Residential Workforce Training In Healthcare, Construction, Tech, And Other Fields With Worker Shortages To Over 200 Students Every Year, But For Months Has Been Stuck In Limbo After Trump Called For All Centers To Close Despite Longstanding Bipartisan Support 

Schumer Says Rash, Potentially Illegal Move By Trump Admin Is Gut Punch To Worker-Starved Businesses In Western NY & Rochester-Finger Lakes That Rely On Iroquois Job Corps Students; Senator Leads Charge To Demand Trump Reverse Cuts & Call On NY House GOP To Stand Up To Trump And Continue Funding Job Corps In Annual Appropriations Bill To Block Trump’s Effort To Totally Eliminate Funding For Next Year 

Schumer: We Must Save Job Corps For Upstate NY’s Students, Small Businesses & Other Local Employers

With the Trump administration attempting to eliminate Job Corps, one of the nation’s largest and most effective workforce training programs, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer stood with Iroquois Job Corps students and staff at Brunner International’s manufacturing facility, a vital employer in Orleans County, to demand that the Trump administration halt its cruel, potentially illegal attempts to decimate Job Corps. Schumer explained the Trump administration is not only targeting Job Corps centers for closure, but in his recent budget request Trump said he wants to completely eliminate funding for the program.

Schumer is demanding the GOP, especially NY House Republicans, stand with their constituents in fighting to save Job Corps by pushing the Trump administration to reverse course and by committing to push to continue funding Job Corps to keep these centers up and running. Just last week, the Senate with bipartisan support passed out of committee the FY26 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill and funded Job Corps at over $1.76 billion, which is level with the last fiscal year. The House has yet to act.

“Job Corps is one of the best bang-for-your-buck programs we have. Right here in Orleans County, over 200 young New Yorkers a year get the real-world skills they need for in-demand fields like healthcare, construction, and manufacturing while helping local employers like Brunner International find and hire skilled workers. It is outrageous that Trump wants to take all of that away, close the doors on the Iroquois Job Corps Center and kick these students to the curb,” said Senator Schumer. “It’s cruel and potentially illegal to stop the flow of funding for this program that is authorized and funded by Congress. The courts have already put a pause on his attempts to kill Job Corps, but we cannot rest. That is why I am leading the fight in the Senate to block Trump’s attempts to eliminate funding for this program. I’m calling on NY House Republicans, especially Congresswoman Tenney, to join us to demand the Trump administration reverse its destructive attacks on Job Corps and stand up against these proposed cuts by following the Senate’s bipartisan action. The Job Corps Center is the beating heart of Orleans County; the people want to see this program continue, and I will not stop fighting to save it.”

For over 60 years, the Iroquois Job Corps Center in Orleans County has helped up to 225 people every year acquire industry-recognized skills that launch them into in-demand careers. This pipeline of job-ready talent is essential for small and mid-sized Upstate NY businesses - especially critical manufacturers like Brunner International in Medina, which produces braking systems for heavy-duty commercial vehicles that keep America moving, including tractor-trailers, buses, and commercial dump trucks. The center employs approximately 104 staff and injects over $8.9 million in federal funding into the local Western NY and Rochester-Finger Lakes economies every year.

Schumer explained that if the Iroquois Job Corps center and centers across the country shut down, all this will grind to a halt. In May, Trump paused operations at Job Corps centers nationwide, sparking widespread bipartisan outcry. If Job Corps were to shut down, it would kick more than a thousand young New Yorkers out of training programs, create mass layoffs of hundreds of workers at Job Corps centers in every corner of the state, and hurt local businesses and other employers in need of skilled workers. Already, the Iroquois Job Corps Center is seeing current enrollment down to 46 despite being able to accommodate up to 225 due to the chaos caused by Trump.

Since May, a federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump from shutting down Job Corps centers, and another federal judge said operations must resume until the previous case is resolved, but Job Corps employees and students are being left in the lurch and forced to scramble as they are left in limbo. Worse yet, Trump’s FY26 budget proposal would completely eliminate funding for Job Corps centers, effectively killing the program without needing the approval of federal courts. Currently, the Senate’s version of the FY26 appropriations bill continues to fund Job Corps and adds guardrails against the Department of Labor disrupting services provided by Job Corps centers, and the Senator said this critical funding and these provisions must be protected in the final appropriations bill.

Schumer is leading efforts in the Senate to preserve this training program for thousands of New Yorkers and oppose these destructive and potentially illegal actions like the Trump administration's pausing existing funds for the Job Corps centers. Schumer has sent a letter with 39 of his colleagues in the Senate calling on U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer to protect Job Corps and demanding answers on these destructive efforts. A copy of the letter sent by Senator Schumer and his colleagues can be found HERE.

Specifically, the Iroquois Job Center equips students with hands-on training in critical trades such as brick masonry, carpentry, electrical work, commercial painting, as well as in sectors like healthcare. Graduates are often placed with local companies like Brunner International, or at other employers such as Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, Hellner Development Company, Barden Building Products, PhilPac, Brawdy Construction, Inc, Millenium Construction, Inc., Kistner Concrete Products, Inc., Niagara Coatings Services, Inc, and Orleans Community Action. Students have not only received education and job placements, but have also improved public infrastructure in Orleans County as part of their education, building a fire station in the Town of Alabama, NY, several community pavilions and gazebos, the Genesee County Fairground building roof, Medina middle school playground, and more to gain experience while giving communities much-needed infrastructure upgrades without using local tax dollars.

Schumer said Job Corps centers have helped millions of young people ages 16 to 24 finish high school, learn technical skills, and get jobs in in-demand fields such as healthcare and construction. Low-income and at-risk young people have received stable housing and healthcare while developing the skills they need to get good-paying jobs after graduation. Across Upstate NY, centers in Albany, Sullivan, Orleans, Otsego, and Chautauqua Counties serve thousands of young New Yorkers and employ over 500 staff.

Schumer was joined by recent Iroquois Job Corps graduates who are now excelling in their careers thanks to the education and support they received at Job Corps, including Lindzey Clark from Lockport, NY who studied healthcare at Iroquois, and after working in a local pharmacy, is now in college to pursue a career in psychology and Kevon Parson from Buffalo who enrolled in Iroquois’ construction program and now has a successful career as a member of Buffalo’s Bricklayer’s union.

Kevon Parson, Iroquois Job Corps graduate said, “When I enrolled in Job Corps I was seeking a pathway to a good-paying job and I achieved that and so much more with the help of Job Corps. I’m now in a successful career as a member of the Buffalo Bricklayer’s union helping to build our community. The instructors and staff at Iroquois made all the difference in my life to not only educate me, but to be champions for me and my fellow students, and genuinely empower us to succeed. Beyond my career, Job Corps gave me leadership opportunities that to this day propel me to do more and give more back not just in my job but in my community. No matter what, Job Corps will always and forever be an ideal to me -the ideal to inspire and be inspired to give help to those in need and very well deserve it. And with that help, spread hope that anything and everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it. Closing Job Corps centers would be a terrible mistake for all the kids who are ready to follow in my footsteps which is why I appreciate Senator Schumer’s push keep Iroquois and the other Job Corps centers open and successful.”

“For 60 years, the Iroquois Job Corps Center has prepared hundreds of young adults each year to become the electricians, carpenters, medical assistants and skilled tradespeople our communities depend on,” said Lynne Johnson, Chairman of the Orleans County Legislature. “The Center is a cornerstone of our regional economy, employing more than 100 local residents and injecting over $8.9 million in federal investment into Western New York. Halting student enrollments and threatening to close the Iroquois Job Corps Center not only risks the futures of over 12,000 students – it also undermines the workforce that powers local industry and public infrastructure. I’m proud to stand with Senator Schumer in calling for the immediate restoration of student enrollments and full funding for the Iroquois Job Corps Center, so we can continue building a stronger, more prosperous community.”

Rollin Hellner, CEO of Hellner Development Company said, “Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate to be able to hire over a dozen Job Corps students to augment my workforce to help construct projects like the award-winning renovation of the historic Church in Middleport, NY. The Iroquois Job Corps Center has been a win-win-win that’s helped my construction company succeed while providing on-the-job skills training to students, all while building lasting assets in our community. Finding skilled workers is a constant challenge, so I’m glad to join with Senator Schumer to push to keep our Iroquois Job Corps center open.”

“The Iroquois Job Corps Center has been a pillar of service and skill in our community for decades and aligns perfectly with the Rotary’s mission of ‘Service Above Self.’” said Jennifer Hill-Young, Secretary and Treasurer of Medina Rotary. “Their students not only learn valuable trades – they put those skills to work by giving back to their community. From building buddy benches to brighten school playgrounds, to constructing Adirondack chairs and beautifying Rotary Park, their projects leave a lasting mark. What truly sets them apart is the pride and heart they bring to every project. The Rotary Club of Medina is incredibly grateful for Iroquois Job Corps’ partnership, and we thank Senator Schumer for fighting to protect this vital institution and the opportunities it creates for our youth and our region.”

###