Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), a longtime and committed CTE advocate, is circulating an important “Dear Colleague” letter addressed to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee. The letter requests increased funding for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act (Perkins) in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. It is critical that we secure as many signatures on the letter as possible to show the importance of sustained investment in Perkins funding in the Senate. 

CLICK HERE to ask your Senators to sign the letter and support increased CTE funding in the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill! 

Senators have until May 19 to sign the letter and can do so by contacting Sydney Lamb (sydney_lamb@blumenthal.senate.gov) in Sen. Blumenthal’s office.  

Subbaccalaureate CTE Attainment for Special Populations: An article by Cameron Sublett and Jay Plasman in the January 2025 edition of the Journal of Postsecondary Student Success examines how certificate and associate degree attainment has changed over time and across special population groups. The researchers used National Center for Education Statistics data to examine credential attainment across several CTE fields of study. They compared data from two groups of students, one who began postsecondary education in 2003 and the other in 2011, each tracked over a six-year time period:

• Only 2% of the 2011 cohort were not enrolled in a degree program, compared to 13% of the 2003 cohort.
• The 2011 cohort was much more likely to earn certificates and associate degrees in business and marketing and less likely to earn associate degrees in health sciences.
• Female students were less likely to earn applied STEM credentials in both cohorts, with the gap increasing from the 2003 to 2011 cohort. Female students were much more likely to earn associate degrees in public service in the 2011 cohort.
• Underrepresented minority (URM) students in the 2011 cohort were more likely to earn a public service associate degree than non-minority students in the same cohort and URM students in the 2003 cohort.
• Students with disabilities (SWDs) in the 2011 cohort were less likely to earn an associate degree in health sciences and more likely to earn a certificate in the trades than SWDs in the 2003 cohort.

The authors encourage other researchers to conduct similar analyses in local and regional contexts and to consider the impact of more recent innovations in federal and state CTE policy.

Eight-year Findings from the ASAP Ohio Demonstration: A brief from MDRC evaluates the effectiveness of ASAP Ohio programs designed to increase community college graduation rates by offering tutoring, financial assistance and career advising to low-income students. Researchers randomly assigned interested students either into the ASAP program or a control group and compared the two to analyze the impact of the programs on student outcomes.

The researchers found that students in the program earned an associate degree at a much higher rate than control group students: 15 percentage points higher. Women and students with developmental education needs attained a degree at higher rates compared to men and students without special needs, respectively. Notably, program students also went on to attain bachelor’s degrees at a higher rate even though the programs do not provide additional assistance once a student transfers. Program students also earned 14% more in income than control group students by the eighth year of tracking.

Advancing STARs in the American Workforce: A report from Opportunity@Work (O@W) describes the current workforce landscape for individuals skilled through alternative routes (STARs): i.e., skilled workers without a bachelor’s degree. The researchers found that 92% of all employers are interested in hiring people without a degree but skilled through other means, and job postings are increasingly open to STARs now compared to the early 2000s. The report also documents the benefits that participation in the O@W Network has had for STARs and employer partners.

Modernizing Federal Work-study to Support Work-based Learning: A report from the Bipartisan Policy Center discusses how states have utilized the Federal Work-study (FWS) Program to expand work-based learning opportunities for students. The researchers identified several stakeholders challenges:

• Underrepresented minorities, as well as community college and low-income students, are less likely to participate in work-based learning programs for a variety of reasons, posing challenges for schools wanting to offer these programs.
• FWS programs often have limited staffing and face difficulties in creating and maintaining partnerships with outside employers while also addressing the regulatory uncertainty surrounding the authorized uses of FWS funding.
• Demand far exceeds the supply of work-based learning opportunities, and employers cite several factors, such as costs, that prevent them from providing additional opportunities.

The researchers end with strategies to guide policymakers in updating FWS, including providing flexibility in how FWS funding can be used, improving the collection of data on outcomes, and basing the allocation of FWS funding on Pell recipients in an institution.

Congress was back in session this week and spent significant time continuing work on the budget reconciliation process in the House. The Administration celebrated National Apprenticeship Day and began to implement several of the President’s recent Executive Orders (EOs). President Trump also released an outline of his Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Budget Request. Keep reading for more details! 

• President Trump Releases FY 2026 Budget Request Outline: The Trump Administration released a “skinny version” of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request. This proposal would reduce non-defense programs across the federal government by $163 billion, or 22.6 percent, including large cuts to education and workforce development. Read more on the blog. 

• House Education and Workforce Committee Introduces Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan: The House Education and Workforce Committee introduced and advanced its budget reconciliation bill, Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan. Read more on the blog. 

• Department of Education Releases Letter on Accreditation Options for Colleges and Universities: The Department of Education published a Dear Colleague Letter (DCL) informing institutions of changes made to the accreditation process, in compliance with President Trump’s EO, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, which instructed the Department to allow institutions to more freely change accreditors and begin reviewing new accreditors. 

• Department of Labor Celebrates National Apprenticeship Day 2025: The Department of Labor celebrated National Apprenticeship Day on April 30 with a ceremonial signing event highlighting the importance of apprenticeships.  

• New EO Impacting Undocumented Students’ In-State Tuition: The Trump Administration announced a new EO regarding sanctuary cities and localities. This instructs federal officials to “take appropriate action” to reduce benefits and protections to undocumented students, including state and local laws that provide in-state tuition to these students. 

On April 28, the House Education and Workforce Committee released its budget reconciliation bill, the Student Success and Taxpayer Savings Plan. The Committee then held a markup of the bill on Tuesday and advanced the legislation on a party-line vote. This bill is just one piece of the broader “budget reconciliation” bill that Congress is working to pass to enact many of the Administration’s priorities.   

Notably, this bill would authorize the Workforce Pell Grant Program, designed to expand Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in short-term, high-quality, workforce-aligned programs. This has been a priority of the CTE and workforce development communities for many years, and has bipartisan support in Congress. We will be examining the specific provisions included with this short-term Pell program closely and following activity as the bill moves forward. In addition, the bill does increase mandatory funding for Pell grants slightly, presumably to cover some of the costs to offering short-term Pell.   

The main goal of the bill, however, is to reduce mandatory spending under the jurisdiction of the Committee by at least $330 billion over 10 years. To accomplish this, the bill would implement several critical changes to financial aid and student loan eligibility, limits and repayment options. Key changes include: 

• Placing new maximum caps on student loans for students and parents, and eliminating some loan options 

• Eliminating the “SAVE” student loan repayment plan 

• Consolidating other loan repayment options into one fixed plan and one income-driven repayment plan (with higher payments than current options) 

• Instituting a “risk-sharing” program where colleges are responsible for some defaulted loans 

• Eliminating some student loan borrower protections as well as the gainful employment rule 

• Limiting Pell grants only to students who are enrolled at least half-time, and redefining full-time as 15 credit hours per semester compared with the current 12 hours 

This bill will now go to the Budget Committee and be combined with bills other committees are producing as part of the broader budget reconciliation process. Then the full package would go to the House floor, and if passed there, would still need to be considered by the Senate. Only a simple majority vote is needed in the Senate to pass a budget reconciliation bill however, which means there is no need for bipartisan compromise.   

ACTE will share more about this legislation and its progression as future activity unfolds. 

This morning, the Trump Administration released an outline of its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 budget request. This request would reduce non-defense discretionary programs across the federal government by $163 billion, or 22.6%. Because this outline does not include full details or program funding suggestions for every program, it is known as a “skinny budget,” with more details expected later in the month. As a reminder, the Administration’s budget request is not binding, as Congress has responsibility for writing and passing appropriations bills. 

For the Department of Education (ED), this budget request includes a $12 billion (15.3%) cut. It is not clear what the request’s implications for Perkins funding would be, as CTE is not specifically mentioned. However, two significant block grants are included in the ED budget, one for 18 formula and competitive grants for K-12 education (which could implicate programs supporting CTE) and another for students with disabilities. In addition, the request proposes the complete elimination of funding for Adult Education programs. 

Other programs that face funding cuts include grants for teacher preparation and professional development, TRIO and Gear UP, federal work study, English Language Acquisition, grants for preschool development, programs within the National Science Foundation, postsecondary institutional grants, and many others. Funds for program administration and staffing at ED are also reduced.  The budget does suggest an increase for charter schools, noting the Administration’s interest in school choice policy.  

The Department of Labor (DOL) is also facing budget cuts of nearly 35 percent of current funding levels. This would include the elimination of Job Corps, a free career training and education program for low-income young adults. The DOL budget also calls for the creation of a block grant they reference as “Make America Skilled Again” (MASA), which would consolidate a number of existing workforce development programs. This grant program represents at least a 25% reduction in these programs, and redirects some authority to states and localities to spend federal workforce dollars.  

ACTE will share more information as more details emerge about the Administration’s proposals and the appropriations process progresses.  

On April 23, President Trump signed a number of new Executive Orders (EOs) impacting education and workforce development. These EOs covered a range of topics, and included:

• Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth
• Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy
• Reinstating Common Sense School Discipline Policies
• Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future
• White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities
• Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education
• Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities

The “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” EO is the most directly relevant to CTE and intends to maximize investments in America’s reindustrialization and economic growth. This EO instructs the Secretaries of Labor, Commerce and Education to submit new plans to expand Registered Apprenticeships and ensure 1 million active apprentices a year. This plan must also include how to leverage federal investments in postsecondary student aid and Perkins to expand apprenticeships.  

Secretaries for these three Departments will also need to review all Federal workforce development programs within 90 days and report back on ways to integrate, restructure and consolidate these programs through a “comprehensive workforce strategy” report. Perkins CTE programs would likely be included in such as exercise.  

President Trump’s EO on AI intends to promote AI literacy and proficiency among Americans by integrating AI into education to create an AI-ready workforce and providing AI training for educators.

Secretaries from the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, Energy and Education will collaborate with other relevant departments and agencies to form an AI Education Task Force to coordinate federal efforts related to AI education. The taskforce is also directed to establish as Presidential AI Challenge to “encourage and highlight student and educators achievements in AI,” and to establish public-private partnerships to develop resources on teaching AI literacy. This EO will also direct the Secretary of Labor to promote participation in AI-related Registered Apprenticeships. Notably, the EO does not propose any new funding, but rather focuses on existing funding streams.

President Trump also introduced an EO instructing Secretary McMahon to overhaul the college accreditation system, which is a process colleges must go through in order to receive federal financial aid. The order will serve as a tool to ensure accreditors are complying with the Administration and not engaging in “ideological overreach,” essentially aligning the accreditation standards with the Administration’s values.

ACTE will share more on these orders as activities are implemented.  

Congress has been on recess, making it a quiet couple of weeks on Capitol Hill. While Congress is on recess, the House CTE Caucus co-chairs are continuing to circulate a Dear Colleague Letter, requesting increased funding for Perkins in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. Don’t forget to ask your representative to sign on! Meanwhile, the Administration released several Executive Orders (EOs) impacting education and workforce, and the Department of Education continued to move forward on goals. Keep reading for more!

• Budget Reconciliation Takes Center Stage: Negotiations have begun in the House and Senate as Congress uses the recently adopted budget resolution as a framework to enact President Trump’s legislative agenda through the budget reconciliation process. Reconciliation bills can pass with only a simple majority in the Senate, so no bipartisan negotiations are required, but the complex issues will require significant conversations within the Republican party. Read more on the blog!
• President Trump Issues New Education and Workforce EOs: On April 23, the Trump Administration announced several new EOs focused on education and workforce issues, including a review of workforce programs.
• New Deputy Assistant Secretary is Appointed at OCTAE: Nick Moore has been appointed to serve as the Deputy Assistant Secretary in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education. He previously served as the director of the Governor’s Office of Education and Workforce Transformation in Alabama, and brings a wealth of experience to the role. Several additional appointees have also been recently announced.
• Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer Continues America at Work Tour: Secretary of Labor, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, continued her tour across the country, most recently visiting training facilities for aviation mechanics. She met with a roundtable of local small business owners, and toured a high school construction project.
• Representative Joe Courtney (D-CT) Introduces House Resolution to Recognize Community College Month: Rep. Courtney introduced a resolution in the House to recognize April as Community College Month. ACTE has been sharing materials and resources to celebrate Community College Month. See our social media accounts for more!
• Community College Research Center Loses Federal Grants: The Community College Research Center lost access to several federal grants collectively worth more than $12 million. These cuts were part of a larger freeze on funding by the Administration.
• National Science Foundation Announces New Priorities: The National Science Foundation announced a new set of priorities, no longer aligning themselves with combatting misinformation or disinformation, or focusing on projects that impact limited subgroups of people. This follows the agency’s cancellation of hundreds of programs with guidance from the Department of Government Efficiency.