WATCH: Ottumwa, Iowa braces for Trump's Job Corps cuts (PT 3)

By Amie Rivers

June 25, 2025

The Trump administration paused funding for Job Corps centers nationwide, including Iowa’s top-rated Ottumwa facility. The cuts eliminate 125 jobs in one of Iowa’s poorest counties while stranding vulnerable young people mid-program.

On this episode of Cornhole Champions, Zachary Oren Smith, Amie Rivers, and Avery Staker dig into how a major shift on high ripples out into a small town.

Toss some bags about the “Big Beautiful Bill’s” big, ugly impacts… a “research victory” leaving US research in the hole… and why egging’s decline may be our country’s greatest recession indicator.

Cornhole Champions is a weekly podcast powered by Iowa Starting Line with music by Avery Mossman and show art by Desirée Tapia. We are a proud member of the Iowa Writers Collaborative.

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*SHOW RUNDOWN:*
00:00 – Job Corps Shutdown – Trump administration eliminates Iowa’s flagship Ottumwa facility serving vulnerable youth

01:00 – Ottumwa’s Outstanding Performance – 125 jobs, 240 students, 94% job placement rate in one of Iowa’s poorest counties
02:30 – Economic Impact Analysis – 125 jobs lost, students becoming homeless, community economic contribution
04:00 – Personal Military Family Experience – Army brat perspective on social safety net benefits
05:30 – Ajai Long’s Transformation Story – From couch-hopping and depression to stability through Job Corps
07:30 – Generational Investment Concept – Current spending prevents future costs and breaks poverty cycles
10:30 – Federal Land Questions – What happens to donated campus property after closure
11:30 – Close
13:11 – Post-Credits Banter

Amie Rivers

Amie Rivers is Iowa Starting Line's newsletter editor. She writes the weekly Worker’s Almanac edition of Iowa Starting Line, featuring a roundup of the worker news you need to know. Previously, she was an award-winning journalist at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier; now, she very much enjoys making TikToks and memes and getting pet photos in her inbox.

Have a story tip? Reach Amie at [email protected]. For local reporting in Iowa that connects the dots, from policy to people, sign up for Amie's newsletter.

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CATEGORIES: POLITICS VIDEO

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