WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) was personally contacted yesterday by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Sonny Perdue who informed him that the Trump administration agreed to grant his request to keep Kentucky’s three Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers (CCC) open and under the direction of the USDA.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Earlier this month, Senator McConnell contacted Secretary Perdue and Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta to urge them to reconsider a proposal to close CCCs located in Frenchburg and Pine Knot, Kentucky. The plan could also have impacted employees and operations at the Great Onyx CCC in Mammoth Cave, Kentucky. The facilities serve at-risk youth in Edmonson, Menifee, and McCreary counties in Kentucky and employ more than 100 workers.
“I’m grateful that President Trump and his administration have answered our calls to preserve the Job Corps Civilian Conservation Centers in Kentucky,” said Senator McConnell. “These centers provide critical educational and job-training services to at-risk youth in some of the Commonwealth’s most distressed communities, and I appreciate Secretary Perdue calling me today to inform me of the good news. I am pleased Secretaries Acosta and Perdue have agreed to stop the closure of these centers, and as Senate Majority Leader, I look forward to continuing to work with them to support rural development in Kentucky.”
