Trump administration ends a federal program helping older people get jobs since the 1960s

"The Trump administration has not released more than $300 million in funds - typically disbursed in May - to its grantees in 2025 from the Senior Community Service Employment Program. And the Trump administration proposes that no money be spent on it at all in the 2026 fiscal year. The effects of this defunding are already rippling across the country, from Florida to Oregon."

"It provides on-the-job training to people over the age of 55 who are unemployed and have incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty level, which in 2025 means $19,563 for singles and $26,438 for couples. The approximately 40,000 older workers who have benefited from it annually in recent years have earned their area's prevailing minimum wage as a stipend while working p"

For the first time in U.S. history, there are more Americans over 62 than under 18. The national workforce is aging and many economists argue that later retirement would help maintain a robust labor market. Approximately half of full-time workers in their early 50s lose jobs involuntarily by age 65, and workers over 50 face much greater difficulty getting rehired. The Senior Community Service Employment Program provides on-the-job training for unemployed adults 55+ with incomes at or below 125% of the federal poverty level. Over 40,000 older workers have benefited annually, earning prevailing minimum wage stipends while training. More than $300 million in 2025 funds has been withheld and zero funding is proposed for fiscal 2026, creating nationwide service disruptions.

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