On Saturday, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) convinced President Donald Trump to maintain 250 jobs in Montana by retaining operations at the Anaconda Job Corps Civilian Conservation Center.
“I greatly appreciate President Trump working with me to save these Montana jobs,” Sen. Daines said on June 3.
According to the senator’s staff, Trump decided to keep the training center open after speaking with Sen. Daines over the weekend. The senator stressed that the Anaconda, Mont., center is one of the nation’s top-ranked,tuition-free training and education programs connecting eligible 16 to 24-year-olds with career skills and educational opportunities.
“The Anaconda Job Corps center provides future generations of young Montanans the tools they need to succeed in the workforce,” said Sen. Daines.
The Anaconda site also provides high-paying jobs for Montanans with the average annual salaries being $37,000 to $97,000, according to Sen. Daines’ office, which said the site pumps $8 million yearly into the local economy.
Additionally, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently ranked the Anaconda number two out of all U.S. Forest Service centers and eighth in training out of 126 sites, according to the senator’s office, which added that the site in 2017 provided 40,000 man-hours of fighting wildfires.
The site also provides participants with skilled and trained labor for trade jobs.
During the last week, Sen. Daines also spoke directly with U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on the importance of the Anaconda site and the need to reverse the administration’s decision to close it, his staff said.