Bush cuts blindside Oregon youth center

Associated Press

PORTLAND, Ore. — In an ironic twist, a Portland youth center that President Bush praised during a visit last month is on a list of program cuts he will present to Congress on Monday.

As reported in Saturday’s Herald, the budget includes cuts to Edmonds Community College and other local agencies, but none with the quite irony of the Youth Opportunity Center in Portland.

Student Jesse McDaniel remembers Bush’s words of encouragement when he visited the center. Now, McDaniel can’t believe the Bush administration wants to cut the center’s funding.

"I was like, ‘How could you come visit here if you’re going to do that?’ " said McDaniel, a once-homeless youth who says the program helped him get back into school.

Bush briefly visited the center in northeast Portland on Jan. 5 and reiterated the need for a federal economic stimulus package — particularly for a state with the highest unemployment rate in the nation.

"That visit, to me, was a commitment to workforce activities in the state of Oregon," said Margaret Carter, president of the Urban League of Portland and a Democratic state senator. "For him to go back and renege on what his visit said seems to be talking out of both sides of his mouth."

The Bush administration said Friday that the proposed cuts should get rid of "duplicative services" and provide more money for proven programs, such as Job Corps.

Aides to Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., said the president visited the Youth Opportunity Center and the adjoining Northeast One-Stop Career Center at the request of the senator and did not make any promises about the program.

"You guys have got to love the irony … but honestly, the way things work, I wouldn’t read too much into it," said Chris Matthews, Smith’s aide.

The president’s new budget would reduce the Youth Opportunity Center program’s funding nationwide from $225 million this year to $45 million next year.

The program has opened its doors in 23 cities over the past two years, but administration officials say they aren’t impressed with early results.

The program is aimed at people from 14 to 21. About 1,400 students are enrolled at Portland’s center, which runs on a $5 million budget. The center’s programs range from classes prepping students for their GED certificate to a joint effort with the Humane Society to train dogs to make them more adoptable.