Washington, DC - Congressman John D. Dingell (D-MI15) made the following comments today after the U.S. Department of Labor announced more than $38 million for three National Emergency Grants for the State of Michigan, with more than $19 million released initially.  Based on Michigan estimates, about 13,291 total workers in these three regions of Michigan will be served once all these grants are doled out.  A key focus of the grants will be targeting workers, in the three regions dislocated from the automotive and other related industries, for training to transition them to growing areas of the regional economies, including healthcare, solar manufacturing, and management, scientific and technical consulting services.

“At a time when many families across the 15th District and the State of Michigan are hanging on by a thread, many set to exhaust their unemployment benefits, others stuck in a waiting line for job re-training, the news of the approval of National Emergency Grants for Michigan is most welcome.  I commend the Department of Labor for recognizing the dire need our state has for re-training.  With Michigan’s unemployment rate remaining the highest in the nation at well over 15 percent and University of Michigan economists predicting it could top 17 percent by next year, the need for training and assistance is not going to cease, rather it will increase.  Moving forward I hope to continue to work with the Department of Labor to ensure that our folks in Michigan are retrained to put Michigan back to work and spur the ‘green’ revolution, prevent the nursing shortage, and create the next generation of electric cars.”