WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, Maine’s Congressional delegation opposed the agency’s attempt to bypass Congress and close Job Corps centers nationwide. The move, which DOL calls a “phased pause in operations,” comes just months after officials froze enrollment at the Loring and Penobscot Job Corps Centers —  exacerbating rural workforce shortages in central and northern Maine.

“By calling this plan a pause, the DOL is closing Job Corps centers without Congressional approval…” the lawmakers wrote. “The agency’s decision, which has been temporarily paused by the courts, to dismantle a widely popular, successful program has put hundreds of low-income Mainers at risk.” 

The lawmakers also wrote that as Job Corps staff in Maine have tried to meet the DOL’s timeline to close the Penobscot and Loring facilities, “complications are impacting students and staff alike. Some students at both Job Corps Centers in Maine are not able to return home and are facing a risk of homelessness, and while organizations around these communities are helping, their resources are limited.”

Maine’s Job Corps is among the agency’s most successful and productive programs, with the Penobscot Center ranking fourth in the most recent national Job Corps Report Card. This report measures how efficiently students at each center attain trade credentials and improve other skills like math and reading. 

Loring’s Job Corps Center currently has 129 staff members and is one of the largest employers in rural northern Maine. It currently enrolls 228 students and opened in 1997 — just a few years after the closure of the Loring Air Force Base devastated the region.

The Penobscot Job Corps has 223 students enrolled, and 65 students have graduated since July 2024. Of those graduates, 58 students have been verified as placements into employment, the military, or higher education, and five have transferred to other centers for advanced training opportunities. Penobscot is home to the only Advanced Marine Pipefitting training program in Job Corps, which is a feeder program for future BIW and PNSY employees.

Yesterday, a federal judge temporarily extended a block on the administration’s Job Corps plan while a lawsuit over the move remains ongoing. 

A copy of the delegation’s letter can be found here, and is included in full below:

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June 26, 2025

The Honorable Lori Chavez-DeRemer

Secretary

Department of Labor

200 Constitution Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20210

Dear Secretary Chavez-DeRemer,

We write to express our strong opposition to the sudden announcement by the Department of Labor (DOL) to begin a phased pause in operations at Job Corps Centers nationwide. This follows an earlier decision to halt enrollments at centers in Maine with which we also disagree. Given the immediate and significant impact these decisions will have on hundreds of young Mainers currently enrolled at or interested in the Loring Job Corps Center and the Penobscot Job Corps Center, as well as the economic repercussions to the surrounding communities that need a skilled workforce, we urge you to retract this announcement.

Since its inception in 1964, Job Corps has been a vital program for countless young Americans across the country. In Maine, we have seen firsthand the benefits that the Job Corps has both on young students and their communities. The program has provided countless opportunities for low-income students to tap into their true potential and secure good-paying jobs. The job placement rate for the Maine centers is well above the national average, placing students in local healthcare settings, masonry, welding and beyond. Students from the Maine centers have gone on to work within Maine’s storied shipbuilding industry, join the Armed Forces, and work at Maine’s Community Colleges. Employers across the State that hire Job Corps graduates have developed long-standing relationships with the centers, finding that the students have been well-prepared to join the workforce.

By calling this plan a pause, the DOL is closing Job Corps centers without Congressional approval. Since the DOL’s announcement, we have heard from students, parents, local employers, and community officials about the devastating consequences that closing the Maine centers will have on some of our most disadvantaged young people. It bears emphasizing that as small and rural communities in Maine and across the country struggle with labor shortages, Job Corps provides businesses with a reliable source of workers armed with the necessary skills to productively contribute to our local economy.

The agency’s decision, which has been paused by the courts, to dismantle a widely popular, successful program has put hundreds of low-income Mainers at risk. Additionally, the Maine centers provide stable employment for residents of its closest communities. The Loring Job Corps Center is one of the largest employers in Aroostook County, employing nearly 130 Mainers. The DOL’s plan would prevent around 260 highly skilled employees from sharing their knowledge and expertise with Maine’s next generation of students living in small and rural communities.

In Maine, while dedicated Job Corps staff at Loring Job Corps Center and the Penobscot Job Corps Center are working around the clock to comply with DOL’s decision and expedited timeline, complications are impacting students and staff alike. Some students at both Job Corps Centers in Maine are not able to return home and are facing a risk of homelessness, and while organizations around these communities are helping, their resources are limited. There are additional hurdles in securing transportation for students in these rural communities and ensuring that every student’s documents are in order.

We urge the Department of Labor to reopen Job Corps centers in Maine and across the country, and work with Congress to seek a path that can build on the successes of the program. We appreciate your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

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