Trump Wants 9 Percent Trimmed From Labor Department Budget

President Trump has asked Congress to slash Department of Labor (DOL) funding by 9 percent, or $1.1 billion, in fiscal year 2019, targeting job-training programs that receive broad bipartisan support for the second consecutive year, reports Bloomberg BNA . The request includes a $407 million cut in spending on Job Corps centers for disadvantaged youth and $400 million in savings from removing the Senior Community Service Employment Program. A memo from Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney implies the White House plans to offset some of those reductions with $1.5 billion in newly available funds for DOL workforce development grants. This year's request pushes for reductions in programs implementing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) grants for adult, youth, and dislocated worker training. WIOA funds 33 job-training programs across the country, and it was signed into law in 2014 with overwhelming Senate and House endorsement.