House Appropriations Progress with Education Funding Still in Play
With just over two weeks remaining before current federal funding expires, Congress is accelerating work on full-year federal fiscal year 2026 (FY26) appropriations. The House continues to move appropriations legislation, passing a two-bill package this week that included the Financial Services-General Government and National Security-State bills. A “minibus” approved by the House earlier this month, which included the Commerce, Justice, and Interior bills, was approved by the Senate this week and sent to President Trump for enactment. The House has now passed eight of the 12 FY26 appropriations bills, with the Senate passing six of the FY26 bills as both chambers approved the first three when the government reopened in the fall.
Notably, the Senate begins a 10-day recess at the end of today and will return to work on Capitol Hill on January 26. The House will then recess upon the return of the Senate. This poses a tight deadline to enact full-year appropriations bills before the January 30 deadline.
This week’s House package leaves four bills unfinished, with 17 days remaining before funding expires, including the Labor-HHS-Education bill that funds Career Technical Education (CTE) through the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins V). Congressional appropriators from both chambers intend to release a three-bill “omnibus” package as early as Sunday that would include Labor-HHS-ED (Labor-H), along with Defense and Transportation-HUD, leaving the remaining Homeland Security bill unresolved and most likely to lapse past the funding deadline.
It is expected that the Labor-H bill will closely follow the Senate Appropriations Committee bill, which passed with strong bipartisan support and maintained funding at FY24 levels. It remains to be seen whether the amendment limiting the implementation of interagency agreements (IAAs) introduced by Senators Murray (D-WA) and Baldwin (D-WI) will be included in the education appropriations bill. Reportedly, the IAAs have become a “sticking point” in the broader education appropriations efforts in the Senate going into the weekend.
Advance CTE will continue to closely 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.
House Workforce Hearing on Artificial Intelligence
On Wednesday, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held the first hearing in a series on artificial intelligence (AI) titled “Building an AI-Ready America”. AI has been a priority topic for Congress since the administration issued an executive order this spring calling for a national policy framework to bolster the use of the emerging technology. The hearing explored the role of federal education and workforce systems in preparing learners and workers for rapid advances in AI, an issue with growing implications for CTE and postsecondary pathways.
In the hearing, Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) emphasized that existing workforce policies are designed for a different era and stressed the importance of ensuring training providers can keep pace with innovation while prioritizing safety and privacy. Meanwhile, Democrats, led by Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), also highlighted the emerging technology’s promise but raised concerns around AI-related risks, including worker displacement and the potential to replicate human biases.
The hearing was a wide-ranging conversation exploring how learners and workers will cultivate AI literacy for future economic development, alongside the risks AI poses to potential worker displacement. Watch the “Building an AI-Ready America” hearing here.
Administration Continues to Implement Postsecondary IAA
The U.S. Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) continued to operationalize their “postsecondary education partnership” this week, announcing additional steps to align oversight and grant dissemination, including detailing ED Higher Education Programs staff to work within DOL. Read the ED press release here.
ED Implements Expansive New Postsecondary Data Collection
Recently, ED finalized an expansion of the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) with the new Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS). This was approved by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), meaning institutions of higher education (IHEs) will be required to submit new admissions data by March 18, 2026. View the update on the IPEDS website here.
Negotiated Rulemaking Reaches Consensus on Accountability
As previously reported, ED’s Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Negotiated Rulemaking Committee reached consensus on regulatory changes stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3). The agreement addresses new earnings accountability requirements for a much wider swath of the postsecondary sector and updates to similar postsecondary accountability frameworks. Many of these new requirements center on student earnings outcomes while lessening the focus on student debt burdens. Because consensus was reached, ED will use the agreed-upon language in a forthcoming proposed rule– an important milestone as the Department moves toward implementation.
A new Advance CTE blog, written in partnership with the National Skills Coalition, underscores the need to align Workforce Pell with proven CTE principles of quality, stackable credentials, strong data, advising, and seamless pathways. Drawing on decades of CTE practice, the piece calls for meaningful credential attainment and strong workforce outcomes as the new program is implemented later this year. Read Getting Workforce Pell Right here.
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