The SKILLS Act (HR 803) would effectively eliminate $1 billion for employment and training services that reach approximately 235,000 young people across the nation. That would follow $1 billion in cuts to youth job training over the last decade.1 This is the wrong direction for the country when 16 to 24 year olds have an unemployment rate of 16.3 percent- well over twice the national average.2 For Latino youth ages 16 to 24, that figure rises to 18.1 percent, and for African Americans it skyrockets to 29.7 percent – more than three and a half times the national average.3 The House of Representatives should reject HR 803 and choose an alternative that responds to challenges facing young Americans.

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