WASHINGTON, DC — On June 3, the National Job Corps Association (NJCA) filed a motion for a temporary restraining order in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York to stop the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) closure of 99 Job Corps campuses nationwide. The court granted that temporary restraining order the following day. 

The DOL announced these closures on May 29th, a move that threatens to disrupt the lives of tens of thousands of students and create a ripple effect of economic challenges for communities and industries that rely on Job Corps graduates nationwide.

“For generations, Job Corps has provided life-changing education and hands-on training to young people looking for a pathway to a better future,” said Donna Hay, President and CEO of the National Job Corps Association. “These students are often overcoming significant personal and economic challenges and Job Corps gives them the ability to gain the skills they need to build meaningful careers.”

The potential closures would include Delaware Valley Job Corps in Callicoon, which provides over 100 local jobs and training for over 300 young adults.

“I’m glad the court did the right thing—because shutting down Job Corps centers would’ve been a major setback for Upstate New York,” said Representative Josh Riley. “We’ve been pushing hard to stop these cuts, and I’m proud that effort helped make the stakes clear. Job Corps gives young people a real shot at success, and I’ll keep working to protect it.”

Riley has been a leading voice in the fight to protect Job Corps, according to his office. He signed onto two major bipartisan letters in recent months: one to the Department of Labor urging continued operation of Job Corps centers, and another to House appropriators pushing for full Fiscal Year 2026 funding. These letters highlighted the program’s role in training more than 50,000 young Americans each year and emphasized the urgent need to address facility backlogs and funding shortfalls.

Beyond individual opportunity, the closure of these campuses would have a significant economic impact. Job Corps graduates enter essential fields including shipbuilding, construction, healthcare, and manufacturing—sectors that are already experiencing worker shortages. The program’s closure would reduce the supply of skilled workers, leaving businesses struggling to meet demand and potentially slowing local economic growth.

“Closing Job Corps campuses would not only jeopardize the lives and futures of tens of thousands of students currently in training, but it would also eliminate a workforce pipeline that many industries depend on, needlessly weakening our labor market and economy,” added Marty Walsh, who served as the 29th U.S. Secretary of Labor.

The NJCA, while taking legal action, is also calling on the Administration to reconsider the decisions based on this flawed report and for Congress to step in to safeguard the future of Job Corps. As a program with longstanding bipartisan support, Republicans and Democrats alike have expressed alarm at the closing of the campuses and abrupt transition of more than twenty thousand students, thousands of whom were homeless or in foster care prior to Job Corps.

The NJCA is a 501C(6) national member trade organization representing Job Corps campuses and the thousands of students they serve annually; their staff; the youth service providers who manage the campuses; and business, labor, community and volunteer organizations.