The Trump administration’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal calls for the complete elimination of a federal job training program for low-income older Americans.
The Senior Community Service Employment Program, known as SCSEP, was created in 1965 under the Older Americans Act and has served vulnerable seniors for six decades.
The program provides low-income adults aged 55 and over with paid opportunities to train for and reenter the workforce across the country.
More than 42,000 adults participated in the program in 2023, according to the most recent data available from the Department of Labor.
Approximately 65% of those participants relied on some form of public assistance, and more than half of all participants were between the ages of 55 and 64.
The administration’s budget document describes SCSEP as “an earmark to leftist, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)-promoting organizations instead of helping seniors in need.”
Congress authorized $395 million in funding for the program in fiscal year 2026, roughly $10 million less than the $405 million allocated the year before.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has targeted SCSEP, having previously called for its elimination during the president’s first term and stating in its 2026 budget proposal that the program “fails at its goal.”
Providers were forced to halt services for roughly four months at one point, causing “tens of thousands” of seniors nationwide to be “suddenly furloughed,” according to a class action lawsuit filed on behalf of four program participants.
Some participants were pushed back into homelessness, while others lost access to their vehicles or saw their health decline because they could not afford their medications.
The stakes are especially high because many participants depend on their program status to maintain eligibility for public benefits including Medicaid and food assistance.
“Many SCSEP-supported job seekers receive SNAP and Medicaid benefits and may be at risk if they are unable to secure other employment or service opportunities,” according to advocacy groups tracking the issue.
The budget bill Trump signed requires certain Medicaid recipients up to 64 years old to work or volunteer for 80 hours per month beginning in 2027.
Consumer advocates argue the government’s assessment of SCSEP ignores the unique barriers participants face, describing them as the “very hardest-to-serve individuals” who have exhausted all other options.
SCSEP participants often face compounding obstacles to employment, including English as a second language, chronic health conditions, homelessness, and prior incarceration records.
