Both the House and Senate have released their Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 funding bills for the Department of Education (ED). In some good news for CTE, neither bill cuts funding for the Perkins State Grant, and the House bill provides a $25 million increase for CTE. However, there are significant concerns with the House bill overall, and neither bill provides the sustained investment needed for both CTE and the wider education continuum.

On July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY 26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS-ED) appropriations bill, which included level funding for Perkins State Grants.

On September 1, the House Appropriations Committee released its Labor-HHS-ED bill. It provides a $25 million increase for the Perkins State Grant, bringing the total to $1.465 billion. However, the bill proposes many funding cuts and program eliminations that would significantly impact the broader education and workforce systems in which CTE programs operate, including programs like adult education, WIOA and more.

As lawmakers returns from the August recess and the appropriations process moves forward, it is essential that Congress provides both increased support for CTE and sustained investments to education and workforce programs across the continuum to ensure all learners have the opportunity and resources needed to build skills for lifelong career success.

ACTION NEEDED: CLICK HERE to urge your Members of Congress to support Education and Workforce Development funding in FY 2026! 

Send a message directly using the ACTE Action Center. You can also call or email directly any personal contacts that you have in your Members’ offices, such as from a meeting at NPS, or call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and an operator will connect you to your Member of Congress.