FY 2026 appropriations remain a top priority for lawmakers as the continuing resolution signed to end the government shutdown is set to expire on January 30 next year. However, little has moved forward so far as Congress continues to negotiate over funding for education, workforce development and other federal programs. The House and Senate have also recently begun hosting CTE-related hearings as a potential Perkins reauthorization looms in the future. In other news, the Education Department (ED) will conduct negotiated rulemaking next week to determine specific rules and requirements for Workforce Pell implementation. Read more updates below. 

• AHEAD Committee to Meet Next Week: Next week, the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee will meet to begin developing regulations for implementing Workforce Pell and other provisions that were passed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) earlier this year. ED has posted the list of members serving on the committee as well as the agenda, draft regulations and other important documents. ACTE will be monitoring the committee as it convenes and report back on developments. 
• Senate to Hold Hearing on Workforce Development: Next week on Dec. 9, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee will host a CTE-related hearing titled “Building Pathways: Advancing Workforce Development in the 21st Century.” ACTE will report back on the blog summarizing the main takeaways. 
• Education and Workforce Committee Holds Hearing on Student Data: On Dec. 3, the House Education and Workforce Committee’s Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education Subcommittee held a hearing on safeguarding student privacy and parental rights. Much of the hearing discussion focused on parents’ access to educational data. You can view the hearing here.  
• Veterans’ Affairs Committee Holds Hearing on Veterans’ Workforce: On Dec. 2, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity held a heard on “Strengthening the Workforce of Veterans in America.” The hearing featured witnesses from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs as well as industry representatives. You can view the hearing here.  
• Secretary McMahon Commences Civics Tour: On Dec. 2, Secretary McMahon announced the start of ED’s History Rocks tour, aiming to visit schools across all 50 states engaging in civics education. The tour is part of the America 250 Civics Education Coalition.  
• ED Launches New Portal for Foreign Funding: On Dec. 1, ED announced that it was launching a new portal for postsecondary institutions to disclose large foreign funding gifts and contracts they receive. The portal will go live next year on January 2 and is part of the Administration’s focus on national security concerns. 
• ED Announces New Appointments to Accreditation Committee: On Nov. 25, ED appointed five new members to the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI), which provides accreditation-related policy recommendations to the Department. The new appointees include policy experts from education groups and a student representative from Western Carolina University. 
• DOL Releases WIOA Guidance: On Nov. 25, the Department of Labor (DOL) released guidance that encourages states to utilize WIOA waivers that would exempt them from specific statutory regulations, including exemptions from various funding and workforce development requirements. The guidance aligns with the Administration’s goal of handing states more control over specific programs.  
• Groups Sue ED for Outsourcing Federal Programs: On Nov. 25, a group of school districts, unions and nonprofits expanded a lawsuit against ED after the Department announced that it was outsourcing various programs to other federal agencies last month. The groups allege that these moves would harm K-12 and postsecondary education programs.  
• ED Releases Fact Sheet on Professional Degrees: On Nov. 24, ED released a fact sheet that provides additional information on specific professional degree programs eligible for higher graduate loan caps under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Particularly, the fact sheet focuses on nursing programs because of the media attention surrounding the new professional degree program designations.