Funding delay hits older western WA workers

SEATTLE — Thousands of older workers nationwide, including many Asian and Pacific Islander elders in Washington, are being furloughed after the Trump administration delayed federal funding for a program that helps senior citizens support themselves.

Clayton Fong, CEO of the Seattle-based National Asian Pacific Center on Aging , called the delay “senseless and devastating” and said it is creating “tremendous hardship” for some of the nation’s most vulnerable elders.

The U.S. Department of Labor has held up money for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP), the only federal job initiative that provides part-time community service jobs to unemployed, low-income adults aged 55 and older.

Fong’s nonprofit typically receives about $15 million in SCSEP grant funding each July