This federal program trains older workers. The Trump administration wants to cut it

A sign for the Senior Community Service Employment Program at the AARP Foundation in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, May 18, 2017. Laurie Kellman | AP Ronald Williams was unemployed when a friend recommended a local jobs program for older workers. After he completed training with Goodwill in 2024, Williams quickly landed a job as a custodian — a role he still holds two years later, at age 62. Goodwill's job training program receives funding through the federal Senior Community Service Employment Program , also known as SCSEP. Williams, who lives in Steubenville, Ohio, credits the federally funded program with giving him confidence in his ability to work after facing what he describes as his personal rock bottom, when he was homeless and struggled with drug and alcohol addiction. Now eight years sober, Williams said, he recommends the program to people he talks to who need money and don't know where to turn. "It helps you out, because sometimes you're stagnated, sometimes you can see no further than the job you worked in the past," Williams said. "But they give you a future." The program's own future is uncertain, however, as the Trump administration scrutinizes SCSEP funding. Program 'ineffective and duplicative,' budget plan says SCSEP provides both job training and community service opportunities for older adults through grantees, including state agencies and national nonprofit organizations such as Goodwill. …