House Approves Appropriations Minibus
This week, the House of Representatives approved a minibus of three appropriations bills ahead of the January 30 deadline to avert a partial government shutdown. As previously reported, the continuing resolution (CR) that reopened the government last November partially funded current federal fiscal year 2026 (FY26) operations for several components of the federal government, while extending FY24 funding levels on a short-term basis for all other programs, including legislation which provides funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Act (Perkins V). Advance CTE expects FY26 appropriations to be the main focus of Congress this month as this deadline draws nearer.
The minibus approved by the House is part of a wider effort by congressional leaders to pass individual funding bills for the dozen pieces of appropriations legislation that compose the federal government. If enacted, Congress will have passed full-year funding for roughly half of the federal government while the remaining portions, including for education and workforce development programs like Perkins V, continue to be funded by the short-term CR that expires January 30.
Further consideration of the education and workforce appropriations bill, the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) legislation, is expected to continue in the coming weeks. As part of the effort in the Senate, Democratic appropriations leaders Senator Murray (D-WA) and Senator Baldwin (D-WI) are calling for the inclusion of an amendment focused on Interagency Agreements (IAAs). The amendment seeks to limit the administration’s ability to implement IAAs that would transfer program day-to-day administrative responsibilities authorized for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to other agencies without congressional approval.
In the House, Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) continues to advocate for passage of full-year FY26 funding that averts a shutdown. Advance CTE will continue to monitor the FY26 outlook and advocate for greater investments in Career Technical Education (CTE) and other federal education and workforce development efforts. View the current appropriations status table here.
DOL Issues New Administrative Requirements to Access Funding
At the end of December, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) issued guidance, known as a Training and Employment Guidance Letter (TEGL), that highlights new mandatory justification requirements for all federal grant payment requests submitted through the federal Payment Management System (PMS)–an effort that was first introduced last year as part of the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts.
Notably, PMS is now the grant management system states must use to access formula funding authorized by Perkins V. As a reminder, this change was initiated last September as part of the Trump administration’s IAA transferring day-to-day administrative responsibilities for Perkins V and Adult Basic Education initiatives from ED to DOL.
States and other recipients using PMS must now include a written explanation of the purpose, budget categories, and timing of each planned drawdown of federal funds, which must subsequently be approved by federal officials at DOL, before these resources are released. This TEGL highlights a new layer of administrative compliance for states seeking to access and draw down Perkins V formula funding.
AHEAD Committee Materials Published
As reported previously, ED has formally convened a negotiated rulemaking (neg-reg) session to implement several postsecondary provisions contained in last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill (OB3) Act. Known as the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD), the neg-reg has been tasked with developing rules to implement these provisions. Last month, negotiators reached consensus on a draft set of rules pertaining to the newly created Workforce Pell grant program.
This week, the AHEAD committee reconvened to discuss a new and wide-ranging accountability framework that would apply to the wider higher education sector. At the time of this writing, negotiators are still debating these proposed rules and are expected to hold a vote later today, Friday, January 9th.
Advance CTE will continue to monitor developments of the AHEAD committee, and will report back the results of this table next week.
Odds & Ends
- ED approved Iowa’s Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) waiver, granting the state new flexibility to consolidate and manage federal K-12 funds. The waiver aligns with ED’s priorities to reduce administrative burden and allow districts to align resources with local priorities. Read the press release about the waiver here.
- ED released $169 million through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to support innovation in higher education. Awards focus on workforce-aligned programs, responsible AI use, accreditation reform, and improved learner outcomes. Read the FIPSE press release here.
- DOL made a pre-announcement of up to $145 million in available funds to expand Registered Apprenticeship programs (RAPs) through a performance-based funding model. The investment is designed to scale high-quality apprenticeship pathways and strengthen connections between training and employment. Read the DOL press release here.
