In September 2025, the Trump-Vance administration unlawfully withheld more than $300 million in congressionally appropriated funds from the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). The freeze halted the 60-year-old program that provides job training and paid, community-based work for unemployed, low-income Americans aged 55 and older.

SCSEP, created by Congress in 1965 under the Older Americans Act, offers grants to states and nonprofit organizations that help seniors gain work experience through part-time, minimum-wage jobs at local nonprofit organizations and agencies. These roles provide both income and a path back to stable employment.

The Department of Labor and the Office of Management and Budget failed to explain their decision, effectively shutting down community-based positions nationwide and leaving tens of thousands of participants without pay or support. Many nonprofit organizations warned the freeze would force program closures and drive seniors into poverty

On September 18, 2025, Democracy Forward and Jacobson Lawyers Group PLLC filed a class action lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts on behalf of four plaintiffs Vonda Jones (Georgia), Christina Davies (Ohio), Rochelle St. John (Massachusetts), and Maria Garcia Pagan (Puerto Rico).

The plaintiffs represent tens of thousands of older Americans whose livelihoods depend on SCSEP. 

The lawsuit states that the new unlawful policy violates:

• The Administrative Procedure Act, which applies to an arbitrary and capricious action
• The Impoundment Control Act, which prohibits withholding congressionally appropriated funds
• The Older Americans Act, which mandates continued support for senior employment programs.

Just two weeks after the lawsuit was filed, the administration reversed course. On October 1, 2025, the Department of Labor announced it would release all SCSEP funds, restoring the program nationwide.

With this result, tens of thousands of older Americans regained access to essential job training, wages, and community service opportunities that help them remain independent and engaged in their local economies.

Timeline

• Sept 18, 2025 — Democracy Forward and Jacobson Lawyers Group file class action lawsuit to restore SCSEP funding and seek emergency relief.
• Oct 1, 2025 — Department of Labor reverses funding freeze, restoring $300 million in SCSEP grants.

The case is Jones et al. v. Department of Labor et al.