ANACONDA — On the Job Corps campus located along Foster Creek, about 20 minutes from Anaconda, students are learning essential skills to become part of America’s trade industries. However, a new budget proposal by the Trump administration threatens to close facilities like this, which some say may have impacts both locally and nationally.
"I always knew that I wanted to work with my hands. I always knew that worked better outside – I could never work behind a desk," says Riley McPherson, a 22-year-old student from Colorado.
WATCH: Job Corps program faces budget cuts amid growing community concerns
McPherson is enrolled in welding classes at the Anaconda Job Corps facility, where he is one of about 170 students aged 16 to 24 years old who are enrolled in one of the seven disciplines.
"We have welding. We have advanced welding. We have heavy equipment. We got culinary arts," says Matthew Couch, the center director.
Couch also lists carpentry and masonry as well as educational opportunities that help students obtain their GED or driver's license if they need it.
"We teach kids the needed skilled labor in the American workforce because our workforce is getting older, and we don’t have enough young men and women filling those positions that need to be filled," Couch explains.
Recently, the Trump administration released the 2026 proposed discretionary budget that calls for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Corps programs, calling it a “failed experiment to help America’s youth,” but officials with Anaconda’s local government say the program is mutually beneficial for the community.
"They are one of the more vital organizations in our community, and the support we get from them is remarkable," says Joe Ungaretti, the parks and recreation director for Anaconda-Deer Lodge County.
He says students contribute to welding projects on light posts and flower baskets. At Christmas time, they help set up for the annual stroll, a major economic driver for the community. Job Corps students have also contributed during emergencies like clearing snow after storms and filling sandbags during floods.
"I do feel like I’m doing a good deed for the community, even though I’m not from this community," says Nate Personius, a 22-year-old student learning about heavy equipment operation.
When the Trump administration threatened to close the facility during his first term, a bipartisan effort spared the Anaconda Job Corps.
Montana U.S. Senator Steve Daines responded by stating the following:
Senator Daines supports Montana’s Job Corps since they play an important role in providing career technical training, especially for Montana’s wildland firefighters. Senator Daines is in close contact with the Trump administration to ensure critical services and jobs for Montanans are uninterrupted as President Trump works to reduce wasteful spending in the federal government.”
Fellow Republican U.S. Senator Tim Sheehy released the following statement:
"A budget proposal is not law, but an outline of the president's priorities. As the administration works to rein in spending and deliver government services more efficiently, Senator Sheehy will work to ensure cost-saving measures are targeted responsibly and the critical resources Montanans rely on are protected."
Congressman Ryan Zinke's office told MTN:
“The Congressman is a big supporter of Job Corps and does not support closing Trapper Creek or Anaconda; however, is aware there is a lot of waste with programs nationally that have graduation rates below 40%. He and other congressional Job Corps supporters are trying to work through some solutions to support higher-performing centers and improve outcomes for more kids. That will benefit the youths that need to turn their lives around and provide skilled workers in some of the trades we need the most.”
