Underwood Passes Bipartisan Amendment to Protect Job Corps Centers After Joliet Closure

WASHINGTON — Last week, Rep. Lauren Underwood introduced a bipartisan amendment to protect Job Corps Centers from reckless closure in the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Funding Bill. The amendment was adopted unanimously by Republicans and Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee.

This June, with no prior notice or warning, the Trump administration announced they would indefinitely pause operations for nearly a hundred Job Corps centers, serving 60,000 kids nationwide, including the one in Joliet. A federal court has ruled the Administration’s decision was illegal, and litigation is ongoing. 

These illegal actions devastated the Joliet Job Corps Center, forcing them to close their doors, lay off more than 50 employees, disrupting education and training for hundreds of students, and reportedly causing 20 program participants in Joliet to relocate to a shelter for temporary housing. The Joliet Center is one of just two Job Corps locations in the entire state of Illinois and serves most of northern and central Illinois.

Underwood’s amendment blocks future Job Corps Center closures unless the Secretary of Labor certifies they will not increase youth unemployment, homelessness, local government costs, or risk public safety.

“For so many of our kids Job Corps is the first place that they feel safe, supported, and believed in. It helps them find stability and purpose while equipping them with real-world skills and qualifications that employers are looking for,” Rep. Underwood said. “Donald Trump’s illegal actions devastated the Joliet families I represent and must be reversed. I’m committed to saving our Job Corps programs and am encouraged by the bipartisan adoption of my amendment.”

“Joblessness among young adults is on the rise,” said Donna Hay, President & CEO, National Job Corps Association. “By barring the arbitrary closure of Job Corps campuses, including the campus in Joliet, Congresswoman Underwood's amendment provides greater stability to both disadvantaged young people who are struggling to find work as well as the Job Corps staff who have dedicated themselves to helping these young people gain the skills they need to thrive.”

The Job Corps program has been a trusted resource for young people to get free technical, computer, and job-related skills that a create a pathway to the middle class for decades. The program has helped thousands of young people in Joliet and the surrounding areas get jobs as welders, electricians, shipbuilders, carpenters, nurses, mechanics, and more.

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