Last night, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-Health and Human Services voted 11-7 along party-lines to advance its fiscal year (FY) 2026 spending bill to the full Appropriations Committee.
With respect to the Labor Department (DOL), the bill provides a total of $9.6 billion (25% below FY 2025 enacted levels) and matches the White House’s request with reduced funding for the Wage and Hour Division (-$25 million) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (-$50 million). It also includes language prohibiting funds from being used to administer or enforce the Biden-era, SWACCA-supported independent contractor final rule. DOL’s Employment and Training Administration would also see a cut of $2.6 billion (35%), and the bill would eliminate funding for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult Job training and WIOA Youth Job training. Registered apprenticeship programs would receive $285 million in funding (equal to FY2025 levels) and $65 million (also equal to FY2025 levels) would be available for the Strengthening Community College Training Grants which is intended to develop, offer, or improve education or career training programs at community colleges, provided that any grant funds used for apprenticeships can only be used for apprenticeship programs registered under the National Apprenticeship Act.
The bill also includes $1.5 billion (a cut of $706 million from FY2025) for Career, Technical and Adult Education, an increase of $23 million above the 2025 level, and would rename Workforce Pell Grants as “Trump Grants.” Funding would also be eliminated for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs. Republicans’ bill summary is available here and Democrats’ bill summary is available here.