Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026
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Would provide FY2026 appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies, covering programs from Medicaid and Medicare to Head Start, special education, and job training — totaling hundreds of billions in federal spending.
The bill includes sweeping policy riders that would block multiple Biden-era regulations on labor, gender identity, and student loan relief; prohibit funding to abortion-performing family planning providers; ban diversity, equity, and inclusion programs across funded agencies; and rename AmeriCorps as 'America First Corps.'
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would appropriate FY2026 operating funds for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, plus roughly a dozen related agencies. Major items include over $508 billion for Medicaid state grants, nearly $594 billion in payments to Medicare trust funds, $49.4 billion for Supplemental Security Income, $23.3 billion for student financial assistance, $15.5 billion for special education under IDEA, and $12.3 billion for Head Start. It sets the maximum Pell Grant for 2026–2027 at $6,335 and appropriates $4 billion for Low Income Home Energy Assistance. Several large streams include advance appropriations for the first quarter of FY2027.
Beyond core funding, the bill contains broad policy riders. It would prohibit funding to entities that perform abortions above a specified threshold — effectively defunding Planned Parenthood-affiliated Title X providers; ban use of appropriated funds for gender-affirming medical interventions; block enforcement of Biden-era rules on independent contractor classification, H-2A agricultural worker wages, nursing home staffing minimums, and gender identity; prohibit DEI programs and Critical Race Theory instruction; rescind $12.8 billion from the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund; and bar any funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, EcoHealth Alliance, and gain-of-function research.
Key provisions
- 1Would appropriate over $508 billion for Medicaid grants to states and nearly $594 billion for Medicare trust fund payments, together covering the federal government's two largest health financing programs.
- 2Would set the maximum Pell Grant for award year 2026–2027 at $6,335 with $23.3 billion appropriated for student financial assistance, and rename Workforce Pell Grants as 'Trump Grants.'
- 3Would prohibit funding — directly or through states or managed care contracts — to any entity that performs abortions and received more than $23 million in Title X grants in FY2016, effectively defunding Planned Parenthood-affiliated providers.
- 4Would ban use of appropriated funds for any social, psychological, behavioral, or medical intervention to alter a person's body to no longer correspond to biological sex, and block enforcement of Biden-era gender identity executive orders and Title IX rules.
- 5Would rescind $12,835,000,000 from the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund and $183 million from unobligated American Rescue Plan balances.
- 6Would prohibit DEI initiatives, offices, training, and programs promoting Critical Race Theory across all funded departments and agencies.
- 7Would rename the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps) as 'America First Corps'; direct closure of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; and bar any funding to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, EcoHealth Alliance, and gain-of-function research.
Who would be affected
Low-income families on Medicaid and Medicare beneficiaries, students seeking Pell Grants or federal loans, K–12 schools and districts receiving Title I and IDEA formula funds, Head Start families, veterans using employment services, workers in safety-regulated industries, AmeriCorps volunteers, family planning clinics receiving Title X funding, hospitals subject to nursing staffing rules, states and territories administering block grants, and universities receiving federal research and student-aid dollars.
Why it matters
The bill controls a substantial share of federal discretionary and mandatory spending while funding the nation's largest health and social programs. Its policy riders would immediately reshape access to abortion funding, gender-affirming care coverage, student loan relief options, and federally supported DEI activities. States, local governments, universities, and nonprofits that depend on formula grants and competitive awards would feel its allocations and restrictions at the start of FY2026.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. § 207) (Sec. 108)
Adds a two-year overtime exemption for insurance claims adjusters employed to evaluate disaster-related claims following a declared major disaster.
Amends Act of March 4, 1913 (creating the Department of Labor) (Sec. 113)
Adds new section authorizing the Secretary of Labor to employ armed law enforcement officers or special agents to protect the Secretary, Deputy Secretary, and other senior officials.
Amends Community Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. § 9901 et seq.) (Sec. 233)
Removes a grant-renewal restriction in section 675C(a) and expands eligible uses of community development funds to include financing construction and private business investments.
Amends Public Health Service Act (Title II) (Sec. 252)
Inserts new section 245A creating a civil action for any party to sue federal agencies, states, or grant recipients that violate anti-abortion funding conditions, including money damages against governmental entities.
Amends Public Health Service Act § 752 (42 U.S.C. § 294b) (Sec. 258)
Extends the authorization period for certain health workforce loan repayment and scholarship programs from fiscal years 2023–2025 to fiscal years 2026–2028.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- Overtime exemption for disaster insurance claims adjusters (Fair Labor Standards Act amendment)
- Two-year freeze of H-2A Adverse Effect Wage Rate at January 31, 2023 level
- FY2026 appropriations period for most Department of Labor programs
- Rescission of $12,835,000,000 from Child Enrollment Contingency Fund
Funding and costs
- $593,817,000,000
Payments to federal Medicare Hospital Insurance and Supplementary Medical Insurance trust funds
- $508,148,791,000
Grants to states for Medicaid under titles XI and XIX of the Social Security Act
- $49,447,966,000
Supplemental Security Income program under titles XI and XVI of the Social Security Act
- $23,254,221,000
Student financial assistance (Pell Grants and related programs) under title IV of the HEA
- $15,493,264,000
Special education grants and programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- $14,850,490,000
Education for the Disadvantaged (Title I grants) under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
- $12,271,820,000
Head Start and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships under the Head Start Act
- $8,746,387,000
Child Care and Development Block Grant for low-income family child care assistance
- $4,648,295,000
Rehabilitation services, primarily vocational rehabilitation grants to states under the Rehabilitation Act
- $4,292,755,000
Refugee and entrant assistance activities, including unaccompanied children and trafficking victims programs
- $4,035,000,000
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) payments to states and territories
- $12,835,000,000
Rescission of unobligated balances in the Child Enrollment Contingency Fund (CHIP)
- $100,000,000
Activities to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA), available until expended
- $2,594,412,000
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act training, employment services, and National Apprenticeship Act
- $7,272,159,000
National Cancer Institute research under the Public Health Service Act
- $945,000,000
Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) through September 30, 2028
How implementation would work
Each funded department must submit an operating plan within 45 days of enactment detailing any FY2026 allocations that differ from the bill's specifications. Up to 1 percent of discretionary funds may be transferred between appropriations with 15 days' advance notice to the Appropriations Committees; reprogramming above $500,000 or 10 percent requires prior consultation. Agencies must report quarterly on appropriation balances and notify the Committees at least 3 business days before competitive grant awards. Regulatory riders take effect on enactment, barring agencies from administering named final rules without further legislation. Advance appropriations for early FY2027 quarters in Medicaid, Medicare, SSI, and foster care are included to prevent program interruptions at fiscal year's end.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 227.
Official CRS summary
Show the CRS summaryHide the CRS summary
This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education; and related agencies.
The bill provides appropriations to the Department of Labor for
- the Employment and Training Administration,
- Veterans' Employment and Training,
- the Employee Benefits Security Administration,
- the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation,
- the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs,
- the Wage and Hour Division,
- the Office of Labor-Management Standards,
- the Occupational Safety and Health Administration,
- the Mine Safety and Health Administration,
- the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
- the Office of Disability Employment Policy, and
- Departmental Management.
The bill provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for
- the Health Resources and Services Administration,
- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
- the National Institutes of Health,
- the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration,
- the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services,
- the Administration for Children and Families,
- the Administration for Community Living,
- the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and
- the Office of the Secretary.
The bill provides appropriations to the Department of Education for
- Education for the Disadvantaged;
- Impact Aid;
- School Improvement Programs;
- Safe Schools and Citizenship Education;
- Indian Education;
- Innovation and Improvement;
- Special Education;
- Rehabilitation Services;
- Special Institutions for Persons with Disabilities;
- Career, Technical, and Adult Education;
- Higher Education;
- Howard University;
- the College Housing and Academic Facilities Loans Program;
- the Historically Black College and University Capital Financing Program Account;
- Student Financial Assistance;
- Student Aid Administration;
- the Institute of Education Sciences; and
- Departmental Management.
The bill also provides appropriations to several related agencies, including
- the America First Corps,
- the Committee for Purchase From People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled,
- the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service,
- the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission,
- the Institute of Museum and Library Services,
- the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission,
- the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission,
- the National Council on Disability,
- the National Labor Relations Board,
- the National Mediation Board,
- the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission,
- the Railroad Retirement Board, and
- the Social Security Administration.
The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
Legislative subjects
Abortion; Administrative remedies; Adoption and foster care; Adult education and literacy; Aging; Appropriations; Asia; Athletes; Birth defects; Blood and blood diseases; Cancer; Cardiovascular and respiratory health; Caribbean area; Census and government statistics; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Chemical and biological weapons; Child care and development; Child health; Child safety and welfare; China; Civil actions and liability; Coal; Committee for Purchase from People Who Are Blind or Severely Disabled; Commuting; Computers and information technology; Congressional oversight; Corporation for National and Community Service; Cuba; Cultural exchanges and relations; Data collection, sharing, protection; Department of Education; Department of Health and Human Services; Department of Labor; Detention of persons; Digestive and metabolic diseases; Disability and health-based discrimination; Disability and paralysis; Disability assistance; Domestic violence and child abuse; Drug trafficking and controlled substances; Drug, alcohol, tobacco use; Economics and Public Finance; Education of the disadvantaged; Education programs funding; Educational facilities and institutions; Elementary and secondary education; Emergency planning and evacuation; Employee benefits and pensions; Employee hiring; Employment and training programs; Employment discrimination and employee rights; Energy assistance for the poor and aged; Environmental health; Europe; Evidence and witnesses; Executive agency funding and structure; Family services; Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service; Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission; Firearms and explosives; Foreign labor; Fraud offenses and financial crimes; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Government information and archives; Government lending and loan guarantees; Government trust funds; HIV/AIDS; Health care costs and insurance; Health care coverage and access; Health facilities and institutions; Health personnel; Health programs administration and funding; Health promotion and preventive care; Health technology, devices, supplies; Hereditary and development disorders; Higher education; Housing and community development funding; Human trafficking; Immunology and vaccination; Indian social and development programs; Infectious and parasitic diseases; Intergovernmental relations; International exchange and broadcasting; Internet, web applications, social media; Iran; Labor market; Labor standards; Labor-management relations; Latin America; Law enforcement administration and funding; Law enforcement officers; Libraries and archives; Maine; Medicaid; Medical education; Medical research; Medicare; Medicare Payment Advisory Commission; Mental health; Middle East; Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor; Mining; Minority education; Minority health; Mississippi; Motor vehicles; Musculoskeletal and skin diseases; Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers; National Council on Disability; National Institutes of Health (NIH); National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); National Mediation Board; National and community service; Neurological disorders; New Hampshire; New York State; North Korea; Nuclear weapons; Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission; Organ and tissue donation and transplantation; Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation; Pornography; Poverty and welfare assistance; Preschool education; Protection of officials; Public contracts and procurement; Racial and ethnic relations; Railroad Retirement Board; Railroads; Refugees, asylum, displaced persons; Religion; Research administration and funding; Research and development; Rural conditions and development; Russia; School administration; School athletics; Seafood; Sex and reproductive health; Sex offenses; Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination; Sexually transmitted diseases; Smuggling and trafficking; Social Security Administration; Social security and elderly assistance; Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations; Special education; State and local government operations; Strategic materials and reserves; Student aid and college costs; Trade adjustment assistance; Unemployment; Venezuela; Vermont; Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation; Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs; Vocational and technical education; Wages and earnings; Women's health; Worker safety and health; World health; Youth employment and child labor
Committee report
H. Rept. 119-271