05.29.25

Ranking Members Scott, DeLauro Demand Answers After DOL Cancelled Women’s Apprenticeship Programs Grants

WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) of the House Appropriations Committee sent a letter to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer demanding answers after DOL canceled dozens of Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations (WANTO) grants.  These grants were specifically appropriated by Congress and are vital to increasing the number of female apprentices in skilled trades and non-traditional apprenticeships.

“Women continue to face significant barriers in apprenticeable jobs, such as workplace harassment, which depress the utilization of apprenticeships by women,” wrote the Ranking Members, citing a statistic from one grant’s Funding Opportunity Announcement.  They further stated, “[W]hile women make up about half of the United States labor force, they compose only approximately 14 percent of Registered Apprenticeship Program participants.’  Cancelling these grants will further exacerbate this disparity, as it removes any role DOL had in increasing the enrollment of women in registered apprenticeship programs.”

Originally passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush in 1992, the Women in Apprenticeship and Nontraditional Occupations Act established an outreach program to provide resources to women looking to enter apprenticeable jobs such as skilled trades.  Historically, women have been underrepresented in these sectors, preventing economic mobility. 

On May 6, 2025, DOL sent cancellation notices to active grantees, declaring WANTO grant funding to “no longer effectuat[e] the U.S. Department of Labor[‘s] priorities for its grant funding.” This follows other actions by the Trump Administration to bypass Congress and eliminate funding and resources for American workers.

“Whether or not a grant ‘effectuates’ DOL priorities is immaterial as DOL does not get to pick and choose which grant programs authorized and appropriated by Congress it wishes to carry out,” continued the Ranking Members.  “DOL cannot unilaterally decide to cancel grant programs and substitute its judgment for the will of Congress.”

To read the full letter, click here.

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