By SAM HANANEL Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House and Senate lawmakers are investigating a nearly $100 million shortfall at the federal Job Corps program that has prompted the Labor Department to freeze enrollment at all 125 job centers around the country.

Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., has called on the agency’s inspector general to investigate ‘‘serious questions about the management by the department’’ that will prevent 30,000 disadvantaged and at-risk youth from getting job training this year.

Last month, the Job Corps announced it would stop accepting any new enrollees from Jan. 28 until at least June 30. Some exceptions are being made for applicants who are homeless, runaways or in the foster care system.

‘‘If there were mistakes made that led to this problem, the ones losing out here are going to be young people at risk,’’ Casey said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. ‘‘Apparently, Labor Department officials were admitting that they made some kind of mistake with the budget’’ to people working at the Job Corps centers.

Labor Department spokesman Carl Fillichio said the Job Corps began taking steps last year to reduce operating costs, such as curtailing contracts, reducing administrative costs and slashing the national TV advertising budget.

‘‘Unfortunately, the savings from these efforts have not been sufficient to meet the budget demands of the current program year,’’ he said. ‘‘The decision to suspend enrollment was not made lightly.’’