Latest news with #LoriChavezDeRemer
Bloomberg
4 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
US Labor Secretary on May Jobs Report, Immigration
US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer reacts to the May report that shows the US added 139,000 new jobs, topping estimates. She says the Trump administration is focused on growing the workforce and says "native born Americans" are getting more jobs. She speaks to Bloomberg's Annmarie Hordern. (Source: Bloomberg)
The Independent
4 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Trump looks to close 105-year-old department that supports women workers despite insinuating it would stay
The Department of Labor said it would 'eliminate' the Women 's Bureau, a century-old department that focuses on advocating for economic equality and safe working environments for women, despite the secretary insinuating it was here to stay. When pressed with questions about the Department of Government Efficiency cutting grants administered by the Women's Bureau at a House Appropriations Committee meeting on May 15, Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer responded by emphasizing its history. 'Statutorily, the Women's Bureau is in statute,' Chavez-DeRemer said in response to Representative Rosa DeLauro's concerns. While Chavez-DeRemer's comment stopped short of a promise, she did not elaborate on the future of Women's Bureau, but insinuated the 105-year-old department was here to stay. Yet the Department of Labor's 2026 fiscal year budget in brief anticipates eliminating the Women's Bureau, calling it a 'relic of the past' and 'an ineffective policy.' 'The Department will work with Congress to craft a repeal package of WB's organic statutes, including the Women in Apprenticeship in Non-Traditional Occupations grant authorization. Apprenticeship work will be handled by the Employment and Training Administration,' the Bureau of Labor wrote. The Independent has asked the Department of Labor and the White House for comment. The elimination of the bureau, by giving it no funding in 2026, is the latest move by the Trump administration to override Congress's authority and get rid of previously appropriated funds for what it believes is unnecessary or does not align with the president's policies. During his presidential campaign, Trump promised to be women's 'protector' and insisted they would be 'happy, healthy, confident and free' under his administration. However, the Trump administration believes the Women's Bureau 'has struggled to find a role' in advancing the interests of women in the workforce, according to the budget brief. 'The Bureau works on a wide range of issues and its work is not always closely coordinated with, or informed by, the agencies that actually have the resources to address the issues at hand,' the Department wrote in its FY 2026 budget in brief. Established by Congress in 1920, the Women's Bureau is the only federal agency mandated to represent the needs of wage-earning women. It conducts research and policy analysis to advocate for policies that improve working conditions and increase profitable opportunities for women in the workforce. That includes getting more women to high-paying jobs, expanding access to paid leave and affordable child care, eliminating pay inequality, as well as harassment in the workplace. Part of its role includes grant-making and managing the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations grant program. The Women's Bureau also has the authority to investigate and report on matters about the welfare of women in industry to the Department of Labor. Nine current or former Department of Labor staffers told Mother Jones they believe shuttering the Women's Bureau aligns with the administration's desire to have women stop working and stay home to raise children. 'It really feels like a specific [effort] to get women out of the workplace,' Gayle Goldin, the former deputy director of the Women's Bureau under the Biden administration, told Mother Jones. 'We really still need the Women's Bureau, because we need to be able to identify what the problems are, see where the barriers are for women in the workplace, and ensure that women have full capacity to enter the workplace in whatever job they want.'
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Politics
- Associated Press
Judge and lawmakers question the Trump administration's plan to gut Job Corps centers
Members of Congress and a federal judge are questioning the Trump administration's plan to shut down Job Corps centers nationwide and halt a residential career training program for low-income youth that was established more than 50 years ago. The Department of Labor last week announced a nationwide 'pause of operations' for dozens of Job Corps centers run by private contractors. The department cited an internal review that concluded the program was costly and had a low success rate. The review also identified safety issues at the residential campuses. The Department of Labor said it would transition students and staff out of the locations by June 30. The program was designed for teenagers and young adults who struggled to finish high school in traditional school settings and then go on to obtain training and find jobs. Participants received tuition-free housing, meals and health care. Critics have argued that closing the campuses would leave young people homeless and deprive them of opportunities and hope. They also maintained the Trump administration did not have legal authority to suspend Job Corps because it was created by Congress. Lawmakers asked Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer about the decision when she appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee on Thursday. 'Job Corps, which you know has bipartisan support in Congress, trains young, low-income people, and helps them find good-paying jobs and provides housing for a population that might otherwise be without a home,' U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott said. Scott, a Virginia Democrat, read from a letter Chavez-DeRemer wrote in support of Job Corps last year. The letter said the program increased participants' employment and wages, and decreased their reliance on public benefits. 'You've made a starkly abrupt shift from a champion to a destroyer of this important program,' said Democratic Rep. Suzanne Bonamici of Oregon, adding that students in her district were distraught. In response, Chavez-DeRemer said she recognized that only an act of Congress could eliminate Job Corps. She said the Labor Department had instead used its authority to halt the program's operations but planned to comply with a federal court order that temporarily blocked the action. U.S. District Judge Andrew Carter of New York issued a temporary restraining order on Wednesday that prohibited the Labor Department from terminating jobs, removing students from the 99 contractor-run centers or eliminating the Job Corps program without congressional authorization. The order was sought as part of a lawsuit filed Tuesday by the National Job Corps Association, a trade group which includes business, labor, volunteer and community organizations. The group alleged the Labor Department's decision would have disastrous consequences, including displacing tens of thousands of vulnerable young people and forcing mass layoffs. During Thursday's House committee hearing, Scott asked several Job Corps students in attendance to stand. 'These students were on their way to getting a good job and earning a living wage. On behalf of them, I urge you to immediately reverse the decision to effectively shut down all Job Corps centers,' Scott said. Chavez-DeRemer responded that the Trump administration wanted to eliminate ineffective training interventions. The report released in April by the Labor Department's Employment and Training Administration said Job Corps operated at a $140 million deficit during the last fiscal year and had an average graduation rate of under 39%. 'Our recently released Job Corps transparency report showed that in 2023 alone, more than 14,000 serious incidents were reported at the Job Corps centers, including cases of sexual assault, physical violence, and drug use,' Chavez-DeRemer said. 'This program is failing to deliver safe and successful outcomes our young people deserve.' The National Job Corps Association maintained the statistics were misleading. It said the 14,000 serious incidents included power outages, inclement weather, athletic injuries that required treatment and adult students leaving campus without prior approva. The group also said that Job Corps' graduation rates have historically been above 60%, but were depressed by COVID-19 policies during the year the Labor Department reviewed. Seth Harris, senior fellow at the Burnes Center for Social Change at Northeastern University, said in an interview that Job Corps is wildly popular on Capitol Hill. He recalled having to slow down Job Corps due to funding challenges when he served as acting secretary of labor during former President Barack Obama's administration. 'I got angry calls from elected members of the House and Senate on both sides of the aisle,' Harris said. The Job Corps program was designed to help young people who were not succeeding in school or who had left school without a place to go, placing them in a residential setting outside their community and providing them with vocational training, he said. The Labor Department shutting down Job Corps would be illegal because there's a process outlined for closing down the centers which includes publishing performance data, justifying the closure and allowing time for public comment and remediation, he said. 'This is plainly illegal,' Harris said. 'But it is entirely on brand for Donald Trump to beat up on poor kids, largely kids of color, who are trying to make their lives better.'
E&E News
29-05-2025
- Business
- E&E News
Trump admin takes mine safety offices off chopping block
The Trump administration is reversing dozens of office lease cancellations involving the Labor Department's Mine Safety and Health Administration, following pressure from Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer and other Republicans. DOL notified MSHA staff Tuesday that the General Services Administration, which owns and manages much of the federal government's real estate, recently told the department that 34 properties are no longer being shuttered, according to three people familiar with the matter not authorized to speak publicly. A few MSHA sites are still slated for closure, according to two of the people. The offices were initially targeted as part of the Department of Government Efficiency's effort to physically shrink the government, and the reversal is the latest example of the Trump administration having to tap the breaks on DOGE moves. Most of the MSHA leases appear to have been removed from DOGE's 'wall of receipts,' though it is unclear when that occurred. Advertisement 'The break-it-and-fix-it-later approach just doesn't work if you care about mine safety and worker health,' said a former MSHA official with knowledge of the reversals, who requested anonymity to discuss the situation.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
McDonald's plans to hire 375,000 US workers this summer
By McDonald's will hire 375,000 Americans this summer, it's biggest jobs push since 2020. The fast food chain outlined the plans this week in Ohio at an event attended by President Donald Trump's Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer. The hiring wave will span McDonald's more than 13,000 US locations and comes as the chain prepares to open 900 new restaurants by the end of 2027. 'McDonald's is sparking a ripple effect of prosperity for our workers, communities and the economy,' DeRemer said. 'By expanding their workforce, the corporation will be driving investment and setting the standard for industry growth, whether as a launch pad for a different career or as a ladder for internal achievements.' The company is already one of the nation's largest employers, with roughly one in eight Americans having worked under the Golden Arches at some point. 'If you wear a uniform on the front lines of McDonald's restaurants, you gain a level of professionalism you might not elsewhere,' said McDonald's US president Joe Erlinger (pictured). The news comes after warnings that tariffs might cause Big Macs to get dearer. Besides the employment increase, McDonald's and Chavez-DeRemer (pictured) celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the company's Archways to Opportunity' program. The program is designed to provide tuition assistance to employees and help them achieve education goals. It has helped over 90,000 employees and invested over $240 million into the program since its launch. The US Labor Secretary expressed her joy for the program and explained how it helps in ensuring a successful workforce. 'Opportunities to upscale the American workforce are more widespread and accessible, which gives their strong team of 800,000 employees an incredible sense of economic mobility,' she said. 'These initiatives are imperative for getting our workers ready to fill the jobs that President Trump is creating through policies that put the American worker first.' Chavez-DeRemer continued by revealing almost 500,000 jobs were created since Trump was reelected. 'Investments like the ones we're celebrating today add momentum to our job market and help create a more capable workforce to fill those new roles,' Chavez-DeRemer said. The plan to boost sales includes keeping its popular $5 Meal Deal going until December at least. The deal was one of the many offers that are part of the highly competitive value meal wars. Erlinger believes the overall hiring plan is a 'win-win' for the company as it can make it more competitive while 'positively impacting the economic and social conditions of the communities.' Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need.
