Bipartisan Group of Senators and Representatives Press Administration for Answers on Civilian Conservation Center Closures
Members of Congress: Secretary's action jeopardizes public safety and economic opportunity in rural communities
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), and Kurt Schrader (D-OR) led a bipartisan, bicameral group of 18 senators and 33 representatives in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), pushing them to reverse their decision to close over one-third of Civilian Conservation Center (CCC) program facilities.
"Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers play a critical role for rural communities in carrying out the U.S. Forest Service's motto, ‘Caring for the land and serving people,'" said Rep. Newhouse. "The students at these Centers are instrumental in the prevention and suppression of wildfires that threaten Central Washington communities, and USFS is uniquely qualified to administer these programs. The Administration's proposal to close or transfer these Centers to the Department of Labor, without congressional input, will have a devastating impact on rural communities, national forests, and local economies, and it will negatively affect the students who receive skills training and who provide a vital public service through participation in these programs. The USFS CCCs are some of the highest performing Job Corps programs in the country; I will continue to oppose this misguided proposal with every legislative tool available."
The full text of the letter is available here.
Senator Merkley was joined by Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Patty Murray (D-WA), Tom Udall (D-NM), John Boozman (R-LA), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Steve Daines (R-MT), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Mark Warner (D-VA), Jon Tester (D-MT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and Cory Gardner (R-CO).
Congressmen DeFazio, Newhouse, and Schrader were joined by U.S. Representatives Rob Bishop (R-UT), Sanford Bishop (D-GA), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), André Carson (D-IN), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), Brett Guthrie (R-KY), Greg Gianforte (R-MT), Raúl Grijalava (D-AZ), Debra Haaland (D-NM), Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Doris Matsui (D-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Tom O'Halleran (D-AZ), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Collin Peterson (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), David Price (D-NC), Phil Roe (R-TN), Hal Rogers (R-KY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Scott Tipton (R-CO), Bruce Westerman (R-AR), Frederica Wilson (D-FL), Young (R-AK).
Background:
There are three USDA Forest Service Job Corps CCCs in Washington State. Fort Simcoe, located at 40 Abella Lane, White Swan, WA, and Columbia Basin, located at 6739 24th Avenue NE, Moses Lake, WA, are in Washington's 4th Congressional District. Curlew, located at 3 Campus Street, Curlew, WA, is in Washington's 5th Congressional District. These centers provide valuable job training for young people in Central Washington who thrive in alternative paths from traditional school and work tracks, as well as offering critical wildfire and natural disaster response support across America.
On June 4, Rep. Newhouse offered an amendment to the FY2020 Agriculture Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill to prohibit funds being used to transfer operations of the U.S. Forest Service Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to the U.S. Department of Labor, preventing the closure or alteration of these Centers. The amendment was adopted and included in the Committee's passage of the bill. Click here to watch the full amendment debate.