[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 8]
[House]
[Page 11149]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    APPRENTICESHIP GRANTS BUDGET CUT

  (Mr. COURTNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COURTNEY. Mr. Speaker, last February, President Trump had CEOs 
from America's largest manufacturers to come and talk about progrowth 
tax policies. Instead of talking about taxes, what they really talked 
about is the real need out there, which is to close the skills gap in 
this country and get the job training out there so that people can get 
hired.
  USA Today reported the next day with the headline: ``U.S. factory 
CEOs to Trump: Jobs exist; skills don't.'' In the 2017 budget, the 
bipartisan budget, Congress listened, and we appropriated robust 
funding for apprenticeship programs, for youth job training programs, 
and for adult, older incumbent job training programs.
  Incredibly, a few minutes ago, the partisan Republican budget cut 
apprenticeship grants to zero, from 95 million from last year to zero. 
Mr. Speaker, better skills means better wages and better jobs. We 
should be investing strongly in job training programs so that people 
will have a future for themselves and their families.
  We should listen to the job creators in this country. We should 
listen to the people back home, and we should reject this Republican 
budget which incredibly turns the clock back so that we can fill the 
job openings that the Labor Department says now total almost 6 million 
jobs in this country. Close the skills gaps. Invest in job training.

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