This week marks the start of CTE Month! House and Senate leaders are currently preparing for this year’s introduction of CTE Month resolutions, and ACTE is coordinating with lawmakers to cosponsor the resolutions. In funding news, the partial government shutdown that began last week ended as Congress passed a minibus that includes funding for the Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. Funding for most programs across the departments, including Perkins, was level funded. Read more updates below. 

• ACTION ALERT: Ask Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor the 2026 CTE Month Resolution! CTE leaders in the House and Senate are preparing for the introduction of this year’s CTE Month Resolutions, and we need your help to recruit co-sponsors! CLICK HERE to ask your Members of Congress to cosponsor this year’s CTE Month resolution.  

• OCTAE Releases Perkins State Plan Guidance: On Feb. 4, ED’s Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education released updated requirements and instructions for the submission of Perkins V State Plan revisions. The instructions largely mirror existing practices, but do ease some administrative burdens related to plan modifications.   

• Agriculture Department Releases SAS Grant Opportunity: On Jan. 29, the Department of Agriculture released a notice of funding opportunity for the Strengthening Agricultural Systems (SAS) initiative. The initiative provides postsecondary institutions with funding to conduct research, education and extension projects that support the nation’s agricultural system. This year, the grant includes a focus on AI in K-12 food and agricultural sciences, including developing AI tools that prepare students with the skills to enter agricultural-based careers. Applications are due on Mar. 26. 

• House Holds Hearing on AI in the Workforce: On Feb. 3, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing on the impact of AI in the workforce. Lawmakers and witnesses discussed various issues, including privacy concerns and how federal labor data can better measure AI’s impact on worker outcomes. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) mentioned her current work developing a framework that addresses AI education and workforce readiness while Rep. John Mannion (D-NY) briefly discussed the Immersive Technology for the American Workforce Act, a bipartisan bill—endorsed by ACTE—that would expand the use of virtual reality and simulation-based training tools in CTE and workforce development programs. Watch the hearing here. 

• House Holds Hearing on Rising College Costs: On Feb. 4, the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development held a hearing titled “Runaway College Spending Meets the Working Families Tax Cuts,” where lawmakers  examined rising college costs and discussed how the Working Families Tax Cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act are intended to rein in tuition increases and bring greater accountability to institutional spending. The tax– cut in the law is intended to help lower college costs by curbing excessive institutional spending and improving student outcomes.  

• Lumina Foundation Updates Annual Credential Data: On Feb. 5, the Lumina Foundation released an updated version of its A Stronger Nation report. The new data reveals that, in 2024, 43.6% of U.S. working adults held a credential of value—i.e., a postsecondary credential that leads to an annual salary 15% higher than the national median salary.  

• ED Issues Guidance on Prayer and Religious Expression in Public Schools: On Feb. 5, ED issued guidance on constitutionally protected prayer and religious expression in public elementary and secondary schools. 

• SHEEO Release New Data on State Postsecondary Funding: On Feb. 4, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO) released new data on state postsecondary funding support for FY 26. Analysis of the data revealed that there is slowing growth in state support, with funding increasing by 1% compared to an average increase of 7.8% from 2022 to 2025. 

• Trump Announces Nominee to Lead the BLS: On Jan. 30, President Trump announced that he plans on nominating Brett Matsumoto to serve as the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Matsumoto currently serves as a Senior Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Trump previously nominated economist E.J. Antoni to lead the agency but later pulled the nomination following several controversies.  

• Four-Year Institutions Won Nearly Half of Grants Awarded to Help Build Programs Eligible for Workforce Pell: This Inside Higher Ed article found that 10 of the 22 grants from the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) for short-term programs went to four-year institutions. While historically these institutions aren’t known for their robust short-term workforce credentials, they won FIPSE grants for programs such as data skills and construction.  

• Secretary McMahon Continues National Education Tours: Secretary McMahon continued her education tour of the nation this week, visiting a Chicago school to tour its CTE labs and then engaging with history students participating in civics-related activities.