Trump administration proposes closing 9 Civilian Conservation Centers

The Trump administration on Friday announced a proposal to close nine Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers (CCCs). 

The Labor Department said in a statement that the Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service will no longer operate CCCs and that the 16 CCCs not expected to close will continue under a new contract operator or partnership. 

The Forest Service program trains low-income, rural students in firefighting and other jobs, according to The Washington Post. {mosads}

The National Federation of Federal Employees, a union representing Forest Service employees, said that the change could result in more than 1,000 layoffs, according to CNN. 

“This is a politically motivated attack that oddly enough, offends both Democrats and Republicans in Congress and in communities across the country,” NFFE National President Randy Erwin said in a statement. “This is a coordinated attack on the most vulnerable populations in the country: Rural and urban low-income young people hoping to succeed in life.”

The Labor Department, however, said that it was “modernizing and reforming part of the Job Corps program.”

“This action creates an opportunity to serve a greater number of students at higher performing centers at a lower cost to taxpayers,” the statement said.