The full House Appropriations Committee marked up its FY27 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill throughout the day yesterday—legislation which provides funding for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) along with other critical workforce development programs. Late last night, the full committee advanced this proposal along party lines (34-28), without making substantive changes to the proposed funding levels for the core formula programs authorized by WIOA or other major workforce development programs.
As structured, the legislation continues to propose a reduction to the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) budget of roughly 27 percent below currently enacted levels, with the deepest reductions focused on the public workforce system. WIOA Title I formula grants would be cut 62 percent, with the Adult program eliminated almost entirely through a proposed rescission later this fall, the Youth program eliminated entirely, and only the Dislocated Worker program left largely intact.
Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) sharply criticized this aspect of the bill during yesterday’s markup. “This bill eviscerates funding for employment and training programs by $3.3 billion, one-third below the 2026 level,” she said. “It eliminates funding for adult and youth job training entirely, while cutting funding for Job Corps in half. As inflation outpaces wage growth and new technology upends the workforce, we ought to be investing in programs that support workers, not cutting funding and leaving them out to dry.”
Several amendments were offered during the markup, primarily by Democrats seeking to restore many of the cuts proposed in the bill, yet all were defeated largely along party lines. Notably, Rep. Mrvan (D-IN) offered an amendment to restore funding for WIOA core Title I programs along with funding for adult education authorized by Title II of WIOA. House Subcommittee Chair Aderholt (R-AL) opposed the amendment, arguing that these programs “provide limited return on investment.”
During debate of the amendment, Reps. Morelle (D-NY) and Mrvan pointed to the new work requirements enacted last year under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OB3), arguing that the proposed WIOA cuts run counter to the same underlying goals those new requirements were meant to advance. The Mrvan amendment was also subsequently voted down along party lines. Separately, an amendment from Ranking Member DeLauro to block the Office of Management and Budget’s recently proposed rulemaking on the Uniform Grant Guidance failed on a vote of 32 to 29.
Two other amendments offered by Labor-HHS-ED Subcommittee Chair Robert Aderholt (R-AL), including a manager’s package of changes to the underlying bill, were adopted by the panel. Both measures focused largely on changes beyond core WIOA formula programs, though several provisions related to Job Corps appeared intended to limit the Administration’s ability to close Job Corps centers under certain circumstances. The manager’s amendment also added report language encouraging the Department to support national workforce training organizations that partner with employers on skills-based, industry-recognized credentialed training, and to prioritize reskilling and upskilling the existing workforce to meet needs in critical industries.
Despite yesterday’s legislative activity, the bill’s path forward remains uncertain. It must still clear the House floor, the Senate, and a conference process before any of it can be enacted. NAWB continues to strongly oppose these proposed cuts to the public workforce system. Eliminating the Adult and Youth formula programs would dismantle the foundation of the workforce system and strip away vital services that workers and employers depend on. NAWB will continue to engage members of Congress throughout the FY27 process to ensure these reductions are not enacted.
Member Portal