As lawmakers on Capitol Hill continue their work to finalize federal funding for the current fiscal year, the Biden Administration is pushing forward with its plans for FY25 funding with the release of the President’s annual budget request to Congress. The White House touted the $7.3 trillion budget plan as a continuation of the Administration’s efforts to lower costs for families, protect and strengthen Medicare and Social Security, and reduce the budget deficit by $3 trillion over the next ten years.

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President Biden recently delivered his State of the Union remarks before Congress. Among the special guests invited to attend the speech was Ariel Clarke who works as a Senate custodian through Goodwill of Greater Washington’s participation in the AbilityOne program. AbilityOne empowers nonprofit organizations, including many local Goodwill® organizations, to provide employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities to deliver a range of contract business services to government agencies. 

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It is a leap year which means we have an extra day on the calendar. Congress is grateful as it gives them another day to negotiate fiscal year deadlines and avoid a government shutdown.

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For more than 12 million secondary and postsecondary students across the country, career and technical education (CTE) programs provide pathways to continued education and good jobs. Programs of study in CTE combine academic instruction with hands-on learning and occupational skills training for careers in in-demand fields like health care and information technology.

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More than half of the governors of states, territories and commonwealths have outlined their priorities for 2024 in state of the state or commonwealth addresses, as well as inaugural addresses for new and re-elected governors, with several more anticipated over the next few weeks. The nation’s governors are nearly evenly split between the two parties, with 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats holding office as of January 8, 2024. Eleven states will hold gubernatorial elections this year. Read more about the themes of interest to Goodwill and the people we serve.

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