Latest news with #HillaryScholten
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Local student: Hope ‘dropped' as Job Corps paused
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — More than 200 young people in Grand Rapids were left scrambling after the federal government announced it will pause the Job Corps program nationwide. 'I ain't going to lie: It feels like (expletive). It feels like if you had hope and it just dropped all the way,' one program participant in Grand Rapids told News 8 Monday. Nationwide, the Job Corps houses, educates and trains some 25,000 young people ages 16 to 24, with the goal of helping them find a path to a better life. The U.S. Department of Labor announced last week it would pause the program by June 30, citing a 'startling number of serious incident reports' and an 'in-depth fiscal analysis reveal(ing) the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve.' Labor Department suspends Job Corps centers operations, drawing bipartisan pushback There are three Jobs Corps centers in Michigan serving a total of about 700 people. Of those, 212 are helped through the Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center on Hall Street SE in Grand Rapids, according to U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids. Scholten, who has criticized the pause, also said 113 people rely on the Grand Rapids center for employment. A participant who asked to be identified only by her last name Mayor told News 8 she was set to graduate in September. She doesn't know what will happen next. 'Most students, if they don't have a place to go, they're trying to figure out where to take us,' Mayor told News 8. 'And for students who are almost done or close to being done, they're just going home. They're not getting their certifications. They're just going home. No high school diploma. We're just leaving.' 'But,' she continued. 'I think the program did kind of help me get ready for whatever happens.' It was at that point a man — apparently a Job Corps employee — interrupted Mayor's interview with News 8 and guided her away. 'She's a student, so she has to come with me,' he said. This, despite the fact that Mayor is 19 and the interview was happening on a public sidewalk. With Grand Rapids center affected, Scholten criticizes Job Corps pause In announcing the pause, President Donald Trump's It said data from 2023 showed a nationwide average graduation rate of 38.6%. The Grand Rapids' center's rate was 23.8%. The Department of Labor also counted a total of 14,913 serious incidents including sexual assault, violence and drug at Job Corps centers nationwide. The report listed 121 in Grand Rapids in 2023. The average cost per graduate in 2023, according to the report, was around $155,000 nationwide and $338,000 in Grand Rapids. And, the Department of Labor said, the program is facing a $213 million deficit for 2025. 'We have motivated students. We work hard. Maybe we had little problems, but it wasn't like big enough for it be like, 'Oh, it was a big issue,'' Mayor said. The federal government says it will help the young people transition to other opportunities as they are evicted from Job Corps. Local leaders say they will see what they can do to help. 'It just hurts my heart to see that these kids,' Rev. Darryl Gaddy of Pilgrim Rest Missionary Baptist Church said. 'I understand there's restructuring. I understand that there's budgeting things, but we cannot leave our young people in a lurch. We can't leave them with a gap in services.' Kent County Commissioner Robert S. Womack is also seeking support for Job Corps participants. 'I think it's just terrible that these students are not only losing their chance to finish their certifications, but they're losing their housing,' Womack said Monday afternoon. 'That's a bigger picture.' The future of Job Corps students was among the topics to be discussed at a convened by Womack Monday evening at Wealthy Theater. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
With Grand Rapids center affected, Scholten criticizes Job Corps pause
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Job Corps Center in Grand Rapids — one of 120 nationwide — will stop operations within weeks after the U.S. Department of Labor announced it was implementing a phased pause of the program. that the decision aligns with President Donald Trump's budget proposal and 'reflects the Administration's commitment to ensure federal workforce investments deliver meaningful results for both students and taxpayers.' The Job Corps offers free education and vocational training for low-income teens and young adults. The Gerald R. Ford Job Corps Center on Hall Street SE near Division Avenue is expected to stop its work by June 30. U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, voiced her dissatisfaction on the pause in a statement released to News 8 Saturday. 'If there was ever any remaining doubt that this is not Ford's Republican party, Trump's decision to pause the Job Corps Center erases that,' she said. 'Republicans cannot begin to claim this is a move towards fiscal responsibility–they just passed a budget that raises the debt by over $4 trillion. The spending isn't to spur more economic activity, it's to line the pockets of the ultra-rich. Here in West Michigan, we believe that a good job is the key to a better future and opportunity–that's what we should be investing in, not welfare for the rich,' she said. Her office confirmed it has scheduled a meeting with Job Corps staff Monday. In Thursday's release, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRermer said that the program is not producing the the results it should be. 'Job Corps was created to help young adults build a pathway to a better life through education, training, and community,' Chavez-DeRemer stated. 'However, a startling number of serious incident reports and our in-depth fiscal analysis reveal the program is no longer achieving the intended outcomes that students deserve. We remain committed to ensuring all participants are supported through this transition and connected with the resources they need to succeed as we evaluate the program's possibilities.' According to the department, the Job Corps program operated in 2024 at a $140 million deficit and that is estimated to reach $213 million in 2025. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Members of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians cheer bipartisan effort for federal recognition
Sign at the Nokomis Learning Center in Meridian Township | Susan J. Demas With U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) and John James (R-Shelby Twp.) reintroducing the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act on Thursday, members of the bands are cheering the policy, which would grant them federal recognition. The Grand River Bands have advocated for federal recognition for more than 30 years using the process laid out by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Acknowledgement. While the tribe completed a petition for federal recognition in 2000, and received a potential finding from the Bureau in 2023, recognition is still many years away. The United States government recognizes 574 tribes, including 12 in Michigan. If the Grand River Bands receive recognition, members would be able to access federal resources, including social services, education, housing, elder care and the ability to exercise treaty rights and weigh in on legislation that impacts tribes. 'On behalf of the Grand River Bands, I thank the lead sponsors of this legislation, Reps. Scholten and James, and others from the Michigan Congressional delegation for advocating for justice for our tribal members,' Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands, said in a statement. 'After more than three decades of advocacy for federal recognition, I am hopeful our tribal members will soon have access to the resources they deserve, and which have eluded generations of tribal members.' According to a statement, the Grand River Bands signed five separate treaties between 1795 and 1855 reaffirming their constitutional sovereignty. They are the last treaty tribe east of the Mississippi River without federal recognition. 'For generations, the Grand River Bands have made meaningful contributions to our state and country – and yet, they have remained unjustly excluded from the federal recognition they deserve. Without federal recognition, they are denied access to the same opportunities available to other federally recognized tribes including health care, housing assistance, and educational support. This bill fixes that and I'm honored to support it,' James said. The Grand River Bands are based along the Grand River and other waterways in southwest Michigan, with most current members residing in Kent, Muskegon and Oceana counties. 'The Grand River Bands are a central part of our state's history, culture, and community, and it's long overdue that we officially recognize them as a sovereign tribe,' Scholten said. 'They are foundational to the identity of West Michigan, and for nearly 30 years, the Grand River Bands have been advocating for federal recognition. I'm committed to ensuring they get the resources and respect they deserve.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Members of the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians cheer bipartisan effort for federal recognition
Sign at the Nokomis Learning Center in Meridian Township | Susan J. Demas With U.S. Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-Grand Rapids) and John James (R-Shelby Twp.) reintroducing the Grand River Bands of Ottawa Indians Restoration Act on Thursday, members of the bands are cheering the policy, which would grant them federal recognition. The Grand River Bands have advocated for federal recognition for more than 30 years using the process laid out by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Federal Acknowledgement. While the tribe completed a petition for federal recognition in 2000, and received a potential finding from the Bureau in 2023, recognition is still many years away. The United States government recognizes 574 tribes, including 12 in Michigan. If the Grand River Bands receive recognition, members would be able to access federal resources, including social services, education, housing, elder care and the ability to exercise treaty rights and weigh in on legislation that impacts tribes. 'On behalf of the Grand River Bands, I thank the lead sponsors of this legislation, Reps. Scholten and James, and others from the Michigan Congressional delegation for advocating for justice for our tribal members,' Ron Yob, chairman of the Grand River Bands, said in a statement. 'After more than three decades of advocacy for federal recognition, I am hopeful our tribal members will soon have access to the resources they deserve, and which have eluded generations of tribal members.' According to a statement, the Grand River Bands signed five separate treaties between 1795 and 1855 reaffirming their constitutional sovereignty. They are the last treaty tribe east of the Mississippi River without federal recognition. 'For generations, the Grand River Bands have made meaningful contributions to our state and country – and yet, they have remained unjustly excluded from the federal recognition they deserve. Without federal recognition, they are denied access to the same opportunities available to other federally recognized tribes including health care, housing assistance, and educational support. This bill fixes that and I'm honored to support it,' James said. The Grand River Bands are based along the Grand River and other waterways in southwest Michigan, with most current members residing in Kent, Muskegon and Oceana counties. 'The Grand River Bands are a central part of our state's history, culture, and community, and it's long overdue that we officially recognize them as a sovereign tribe,' Scholten said. 'They are foundational to the identity of West Michigan, and for nearly 30 years, the Grand River Bands have been advocating for federal recognition. I'm committed to ensuring they get the resources and respect they deserve.'
CNN
06-04-2025
- Business
- CNN
Republican Congresswoman on current economic turmoil: ‘A little turbulence as you move to smooth skies.'
Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, Democratic Rep. Hillary Scholten, CNN Senior Political Commentator David Urban and CNN Political Commentator Jamal Simmons join CNN's Jake Tapper to discuss the latest economic turmoil and how Trump's tariffs impact voters across the country.
