Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Act, 2027

The American Council supports HB9260, the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill for fiscal year 2027, and urges every Member of Congress to vote for its passage. This legislation funds the programs that help working Americans find jobs, develop skills, and weather economic hardship. Without it, those programs lose their legal spending authority when the new fiscal year begins.

The bill invests meaningfully in workforce development. It appropriates $2,601,912,000 for WIOA and National Apprenticeship Act programs, dedicates $290,000,000 specifically to expand registered apprenticeship opportunities, and earmarks $75,000,000 for developing or improving career training programs at community colleges and their consortium partners. An additional $60,000,000 targets workers in the Appalachian, Lower Mississippi Delta, and Northern Border regions whose communities have faced concentrated economic dislocation. These are not abstract line items; they are the difference between a displaced worker having a path forward and having none.

The bill also strengthens the safety net that catches workers between jobs. It appropriates $3,276,635,000 from the Unemployment Trust Fund for State unemployment insurance administration, including at least $517,000,000 for reemployment services and eligibility assessments. A built-in trigger provides an additional $28,600,000 for every 100,000 increase in average weekly insured unemployment above 3,075,000, so the system can scale automatically when the economy weakens. States are also permitted to share funds with other States that contain presidentially declared major disaster areas, a practical expression of mutual responsibility.

Those who have served in uniform receive particular attention. The bill appropriates $269,841,000 for veterans' employment and training, including $185,000,000 for Jobs for Veterans State grants, and $65,500,000 for programs serving homeless veterans and veterans at risk of homelessness. Critically, the bill expands eligibility for those services to veterans who were homeless within the prior 60 days or who face homelessness within the next 60 days, and extends services under section 2023 to recently incarcerated veterans at risk of homelessness. We believe a nation that calls on its people to serve must stand ready to serve them in return.

The bill also protects the retirement security of American workers. It caps PBGC administrative expenses at $484,264,000 while building in additional authority tied to the actual number of terminated plan participants, ensuring the agency can meet its obligations without blank-check spending. The Employee Benefits Security Administration receives $181,100,000, including up to $3,000,000 available through September 2028 for expert witnesses in enforcement litigation, so that workers' benefit plans are actively protected. The American Council calls on every Member to support this bill and see that it becomes law.