Senate Committee Advances 2026 Funding Bill

by Mitch Coppes, Federal Government Affairs Manager, Goodwill Industries International

Before adjourning for a month-long August recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee voted this week to advance its Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill. The committee proposes funding levels in FY26 for federal workforce programs that help support Goodwill employment and training services, including:

• $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth, adult and dislocated worker state grants, a reduction of $10 million below the current FY25 level for WIOA adult employment and training activities.
• $395 million for the Senior Community Service Employment Program, a decrease of $10 million below the current level.
• $110 million for the Reentry Employment Opportunities grant program, a reduction of $5 million below the FY 25 level.
• $1.7 billion for Job Corps, equal to the current FY25 level.
• $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships, equal to the FY25 level.
• $105 million for YouthBuild, equal to the current level.
• $65 million for the Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, equal to the current level.

The committee rejected President Trump’s FY26 budget plan that proposed to reduce funding for the Department of Labor by 35 percent, eliminate funding for Job Corps and SCSEP, and consolidate most other spending on workforce training into a single block grant to states.

Despite the bipartisan show of support from senators for continuing to fund SCSEP into next year, the Trump Administration has delayed the release of previously approved funding for SCSEP national grantees for the 2025 program year that was to begin on July 1. The disruption in federal funding has impacted SCSEP programs across the country, including those at local Goodwill organizations, and the older workers they serve. Goodwill is urging the Department of Labor to quickly provide the allocations needed for this important program to continue and calls upon Congress to continue to invest in SCSEP, providing essential support for older workers.