Van Hollen, Alsobrooks Secure $24 Million for Maryland Health Care, Education, and Workforce Training Projects

U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senator Angela Alsobrooks, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (both D-Md) secured $24,176,000 in direct federal funding for 46 projects throughout Maryland within the fiscal year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill - which was enacted into law as part of a 5-bill government funding package passed by Congress and signed into law in February. These investments in local projects - submitted and secured by the Senators - support access to health care, education, and workforce training opportunities across Maryland.

"Federal dollars can make a big impact when we invest them directly in projects that support our communities' needs. These funds will equip our partners across the state to expand opportunities for Marylanders - supporting a wide range of priorities from early childhood and special education to job training for careers in high-demand fields. Within this bill we also fought back against the Trump Administration's attacks on critical Maryland-based federal agencies like the Social Security Administration and National Institutes of Health - protecting our patriotic civil servants who work there and these agencies' vital missions of ensuring Americans' retirement security and safeguarding public health. We worked hard to secure the investments in this legislation to better reflect the needs of Marylanders and communities across the country," said Senator Chris Van Hollen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"From STEM labs to youth theatre programs, when we invest in our people - our economy grows, our communities become safer, and we all benefit. Senator Van Hollen and I secured over $24 million to invest in education, youth programs, health care access, affordable child care, technology training, mental health care, and more," said Senator Alsobrooks.

The Senators worked to secure these funds and provisions prior to their passage, but ultimately voted against the larger package they were included within - stemming from concerns over insufficient safeguards to protect federal workers against the Trump's attacks and to prevent the Administration from misusing Congressionally approved taxpayer dollars, among other factors.

Highlights for Maryland in the Fiscal Year 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Funding Bill

Congressionally Directed Spending

Project Name: Advancing the Quantum Workforce
Applicant: Prince George's Community College
Project Description: Funds will be used to develop the Maryland Regional Technology Hub with a quantum-based certification-to-degree program that aligns with industry standards and prepares residents for careers in a growing field.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $1,826,000

Project Name: Anne Arundel County Food Bank Refrigerated Vehicle
Applicant: Anne Arundel County Food Bank, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used to purchase a refrigerated vehicle to support the Food Bank's weekly food donation pickups, ensuring the safe delivery of fresh items to the warehouse for distribution to low-income residents.
Project Location: Anne Arundel County
Amount Included: $133,000

Project Name: Aviation Maintenance Technology - A Career Pathway to Economic Mobility
Applicant: College of Southern Maryland
Project Description: Funds will used to outfit a new Aviation Maintenance Technology laboratory and support regional workforce development in aviation, preparing students to secure employment in this in-demand and understaffed industry.
Project Location: Charles County
Amount Included: $997,000

Project Name: BACH Adult Apprenticeship Program
Applicant: Baltimore Alliance for Careers in Healthcare
Project Description: Funds will support adult "earn while you learn" apprenticeships in health care fields and provide supportive services and professional development as participants begin their careers. The program will help Marylanders obtain new skills while addressing staffing needs in health care.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $579,000

Project Name: Ballet After Dark Comprehensive Fellowship for Girls & Youth
Applicant: Ballet After Dark Inc
Project Description: Funds will be used to support a health and peer education curriculum for girls and young women impacted by violence and trauma, including through curriculum training, mentorship, leadership development, and community outreach.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $1,071,000

Project Name: Baltimore College Persistence Program
Applicant: Jeremiah Program
Project Description: Funds will provide support and mentorship for single mothers pursuing a college degree while raising young children-including coaching, afterschool and summer programming for children, and access to technology.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $139,000

Project Name: Bellevue Passage STEAM Labs
Applicant: Mid -Shore Community Foundation - Bellevue Passage Museum
Project Description: Funds will be used to develop labs to increase access to high-quality, year-round STEAM education with hands-on learning opportunities and exposure to diverse careers.
Project Location: Talbot County
Amount Included: $129,000

Project Name: BMORE Theatre Youth Program: Summer 2026
Applicant: BMORE Community Theatre
Project Description: Funds will be used to establish a summer theater program for students aged 8-15, providing full-day classes from certified educators and student interns to boost literacy, creativity, and teamwork.
Project Location: Baltimore County
Amount Included: $250,000

Project Name: Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation STEM Center Statewide Initiative
Applicant: Cal Ripken, Sr. Foundation
Project Description: Funds will be used to set up STEM Centers to provide year-round, hands-on STEM education to youth and trainings to teachers throughout Maryland.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $1,000,000

Project Name: Cecil College CDL Simulator
Applicant: Cecil College
Project Description: Funds will be used to purchase a commercial truck driving simulator for the truck driver training program, which will provide a realistic, risk-free environment to hone commercial driving skills and navigate weather and traffic conditions while training for an in-demand career.
Project Location: Cecil County
Amount Included: $109,000

Project Name: Commissioning More Military Officers through Building Bridges
Applicant: 2nd LT RICHARD W COLLINS III FOUNDATION
Project Description: Funds will support the commissioning of more military officers by establishing teambuilding, networking, and educational programming for ROTC cadets.
Project Location: Anne Arundel County
Amount Included: $50,000

Project Name: DC Regional Early Learning Center
Applicant: DC Regional Early Learning Center
Project Description: Funds will be used to integrate state-of-the-art technology resources into classrooms to equip teachers with specialized training to maximize learning opportunities for students.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $305,000

Project Name: Hon's Honey Workforce Development
Applicant: Drink at the Well, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used to employ and train women at-risk of poverty, trauma, addiction and PTSD and will provide wraparound services, including childcare, case management, and counseling to ensure their successful recovery.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $175,000

Project Name: Early Childhood Pre-K Enrollment System
Applicant: Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)
Project Description: Funds will be used for a centralized Pre-K enrollment system for families with three and four-year-old children, reducing the administrative burden for LEAs and early care and education providers.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $500,000

Project Name: Eastern Shore Maryland Mobile STEM Workforce Development Program
Applicant: Learning Undefeated, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will support deployment of Learning Undefeated's Mobile STEM Workforce Development program to high schools and community colleges on the Eastern Shore and in Harford and Carroll Counties, preparing students for STEM careers.
Project Location: Caroline County (all shore)
Amount Included: $675,000

Project Name: Empowering Abilities: Training People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities as Direct Support Professionals
Applicant: The Arc Montgomery County, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used to support a workforce training initiative for people with disabilities. The Empowering Abilities Program creates employment opportunities for people with disabilities to be trained in the role of a Direct Support Professional.
Project Location: Montgomery County
Amount Included: $150,000

Project Name: Empowering Partners: Building Advocacy Capacity for Advocates with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Across Maryland
Applicant: The Arc of Maryland
Project Description: Funds will be used for peer to peer support, training, and information to people with IDD, to empower them to effectively advocate for their rights, independence and safe access to their communities.
Project Location: Howard County
Amount Included: $200,000

Project Name: Engaging Baltimore City Students in Conservation
Applicant: The National Aquarium
Project Description: Funds will be used to connect students to learning and stewardship opportunities that promote conservation and expand students' understanding of the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $172,000

Project Name: Exeter Street Baltimore East Side Expansion
Applicant: Tuerk House, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used to renovate a 44,000 sq. ft. warehouse into a behavioral healthcare site. The project expands treatment capacity adds a 30-bed crisis stabilization center, and offers substance use, mental health, dental care, and workforce development services.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $500,000

Project Name: Expanded Economic Empowerment for Newcomers
Applicant: Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service DBA Global Refuge
Project Description: Funds will be used to expand this economic empowerment program in Maryland offering career counseling, support services, and workforce integration for refugees and immigrants. The funds will help them obtain skills and credentials that will benefit the local workforce.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $300,000

Project Name: Expanding Access to Mental Health and Victim Support Services
Applicant: For All Seasons, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used to expand access to comprehensive behavioral and mental health care and victim support services, particularly for low-income, rural, and underserved Maryland communities.
Project Location: Talbot County
Amount Included: $1,000,000

Project Name: Expanding Community Anchored STEM Hub Programming
Applicant: Launching Educational Assistance Program Forward Inc. LEAP Forward Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used to expand hands-on STEM learning experiences to prepare students in Southern Maryland for high-demand STEM careers.
Project Location: Calvert County
Amount Included: $241,000

Project Name: Expanding Equitable Arts Access for Youth and Seniors in Prince George's County
Applicant: The Coalition for African Americans in the Performing Arts
Project Description: Funds will be used to support the expansion of youth and senior arts education and enrichment programs across Prince George's County.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $150,000

Project Name: Expanding Hunger Relief Program throughout Maryland
Applicant: So What Else, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used to expand So What Else's Hunger Relief Program to address food insecurity and meet the growing needs of families in Montgomery, Prince George's, and Frederick Counties, as well as Baltimore City.
Project Location: Montgomery County
Amount Included: $750,000

Project Name: Family Connects Maryland
Applicant: The Family Tree
Project Description: Funds will be used to provide post-delivery home visits and wraparound services to new mothers and their babies in order to support their health, minimize complications, and reduce hospital readmissions.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $373,000

Project Name: Goodwill Excel Center in Prince George's County
Applicant: Goodwill of Greater Washington
Project Description: Funds will be used to open an adult high school in Prince George's County for low-income adult learners to earn a high school diploma.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $1,000,000

Project Name: Increasing Community Health, Food Access, and Nutrition Education
Applicant: Brighter Bites DC
Project Description: Funds will be used to combat food and nutrition insecurity for elementary school-aged students in Prince George's County by providing food distribution and nutrition education classes for students and families.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $266,000

Project Name: Job Readiness Training for Adults with Autism and Wellness Program Expansion
Applicant: Madison House Autism Foundation
Project Description: Funds will be used to scale job training for adults with autism and intellectual/developmental disabilities and expand wellness programs for this under-resourced community by partnering with other organizations to serve these vulnerable populations.
Project Location: Montgomery County
Amount Included: $650,000

Project Name: Lifeline-LETS Program Mental Health and Wellness Support Services
Applicant: Lifeline Horse Rescue and Rehabilitation
Project Description: Funds will be uses to support equine-assisted services to help prevent suicide and treat substance abuse in veterans experience PTSD.
Project Location: Montgomery County
Amount Included: $95,000

Project Name: Living Classrooms Mobile Ascend Through Music Program
Applicant: Living Classrooms Foundation
Project Description: Funds will be used to expand the successful Ascend Through Music program with a new mobile music lab bus and equipment, student laptops, instruments, and instructors that will make it more accessible for Baltimore City students.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $810,000

Project Name: Maryland Water and Wastewater Training Program Partnership
Applicant: College of Southern Maryland
Project Description: Funds will be used to create an employment pipeline into the drinking water and wastewater utility sector through training, outreach, recruitment, and hands-on experience inside treatment plants across Maryland, addressing the projected future workforce needs in the industry.
Project Location: Charles County
Amount Included: $732,000

Project Name: Melwood Youth Enrichment Services (YES) Program
Applicant: Melwood Community Services, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will expand Melwood's Youth Enrichment Services (YES)-an after-school enrichment program that uses hands-on learning to inspire kids from low-income households to envision their future-to an additional elementary school in Prince George's County, MD.
Project Location: Prince George's CountyAmoun
t Included: $235,000

Project Name: New Ambulance for Smithsburg EMS Station 79
Applicant: Smithsburg Emergency Medical Services, Inc
Project Description: Funds will be used to purchase a new ambulance for Smithsburg EMS to ensure efficient emergency response across 70 square miles of rural Western Maryland, including the Appalachian Trail.
Project Location: Washington County
Amount Included: $250,000

Project Name: NPower Maryland Statewide Expansion
Applicant: NPower Inc.
Project Description: Funds will be used for workforce development initiatives focused on IT training and community help desk expansion.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $750,000

Project Name: Out of School Time to Support Student Learning
Applicant: Joe's Movement Emporium
Project Description: Funds will be used for an after-school and in-school program to enhance academic success emphasizing literacy, communication, and attendance through arts-based learning at William Beanes Elementary School.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $610,000

Project Name: Outdoor Learning to Improve Secondary Education
Applicant: Chesapeake Bay Outward Bound School
Project Description: Funds will increase access to outdoor education programs, aligned with classroom instruction, that improve teamwork skills and mental health for Baltimore City students.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $250,000

Project Name: Piscataway Environmental Education Program
Applicant: Accokeek Foundation, Inc
Project Description: Funds will support development and implementation of a environmental education curriculum that integrates Piscataway Indigenous knowledge, providing teacher training, classroom support, and field trips for Prince George's and Charles County students.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $425,000

Project Name: Prince George's County Pediatric Mobile Medical Unit
Applicant: Children's National Medical Center
Project Description: Funds will be used to expand the Children's National Mobile Medical Program to provide comprehensive primary care services for children and adolescents in Prince George's County.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $600,000

Project Name: Rural Healthcare Technology for Workforce Development
Applicant: Chesapeake College
Project Description: Funds will be used to upgrade equipment for Chesapeake College's Health Professions program so students can receive practical, hands-on training that will make them competitive for in-demand jobs that address regional rural health needs.
Project Location: Queen Anne's County
Amount Included: $721,000

Project Name: Seismic Quake Lab
Applicant: SciTech2U Inc
Project Description: Funds will provide Maryland's first-ever quake lab offering activities in seismology and geology to kindergarten through 12th grade students. The funds are needed to purchase material, hire program support staff, provide student activities, and increase program capacity.
Project Location: Montgomery County
Amount Included: $214,000

Project Name: SquashWise Center: A Youth and Community Center
Applicant: Baltimore SquashWise
Project Description: The SquashWise Center will provide high-quality and safe recreation and youth development programs for Baltimore City residents.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $200,000

Project Name: The Children's Inn Community Kitchen
Applicant: Children's Inn at NIH, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will support the construction of a community kitchen, pantry, and dining area in a new residential wing for young patients with rare diseases participating in clinical research studies.
Project Location: Montgomery County
Amount Included: $620,000

Project Name: The Training Source Youth/Start Workforce Development Training Program
Applicant: The Training Source, Inc.
Project Description: Funds will support professional training for low- and moderate-income youth ages 18-24 leading to customer service certification, job placement, and retention support. The funding will be used in part for stipends for participants.
Project Location: Prince George's County
Amount Included: $289,000

Project Name: UPMC Western Maryland Health Access
Applicant: UPMC Western Maryland Corporation
Project Description: Funds will support UPMC Western Maryland Schwab Family Cancer Center's comprehensive radiation therapy services, and expand treatment services to include intra-cranial radiation for patients.
Project Location: Allegany County
Amount Included: $2,750,000

Project Name: Wor-Wic Community College Culinary Laboratory Upgrade
Applicant: Wor-Wic Community College
Project Description: Wor-Wic Community College offers an American Culinary Federation-accredited culinary program to prepare individuals for careers in the food services sector. Funds will be used to upgrade Wor-Wic's culinary arts laboratory to ensure that graduates are adequately prepared for the workforce.
Project Location: Wicomico County
Amount Included: $223,000

Project Name: Youth Media Creative Pre-Apprenticeship Pilot
Applicant: Wide Angle Youth Media
Project Description: Wide Angle Youth Media will expand its training opportunities for older youth, with the pilot of a pre-apprenticeship program. The program will fill a current gap in its workforce pathway programs and increase youth employability as they gain hands-on work experience and technical skills.
Project Location: Baltimore City
Amount Included: $712,000

Additional priorities secured by the Senators in the FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies funding bill include:

Social Security Administration (SSA), headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland

The bill includes $15 billion for SSA's administrative expenses-an increase of $554 million over fiscal year 2025. This is $50 million more than President Trump's budget request and will help address staffing challenges and improve service to the public. The Trump administration has singlehandedly and unnecessarily created chaos at SSA that has weakened Americans' ability to get the benefits they are owed. The American public and the beneficiaries SSA serves-seniors, people with disabilities, and those who have recently lost a loved one- have paid the price, with unacceptable wait times to access the benefits and services they deserve, and that they have literally earned through a lifetime of work. SSA should focus on improving service after the harmful cuts and chaotic policies the Trump administration has put in place, and the resources in this bill will help them do that.

Department of Health and Human Services

The bill provides $116.8 billion, an increase of $210 million in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services over fiscal year 2025 and $33 billion more than President Trump's budget request.

The bill rejects the Trump administration's harmful efforts to defund and dismantle critical work that HHS oversees-protecting critical funding and providing targeted increases for key programs across HHS. From child care and Head Start, to substance use and mental health, to lifesaving research into cures and treatments for devastating diseases-the bill delivers essential funding to help Americans thrive. It also reasserts Congress' power over key spending decisions, preventing Secretary Kennedy from unilaterally cutting and defunding programs, and it includes new measures to help ensure funding is spent as intended to protect programs that touch the lives of every American. This includes specifying funding levels in law for hundreds of programs the Trump administration has eliminated or repeatedly threatened and new measures to help ensure adequate staffing to carry out programs in a timely and effective manner and to ensure funds go out the door in a timely way.

The bill includes none of House Republicans' extreme policy riders, which would have restricted access to reproductive health care, banned gun violence research, and promoted discrimination, among much else.

Biomedical Research: The bill provides $48.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Bethesda, Maryland-based National Institutes of Health (NIH)-an increase of $415 million over fiscal year 2025 to propel life-saving and life-changing cures and treatments across NIH's 27 institutes and centers and the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

The bill rejects the catastrophic 40% cut to NIH proposed by President Trump, and instead of slashing funding for biomedical research, includes funding increases over fiscal year 2025 for research into cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and Parkinson's disease, among other conditions that touch the lives of millions of Americans. The bill also includes $30 million for continued implementation of the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research (STAR) Act, supporting biorepositories for childhood cancer patients and increasing opportunities for childhood cancer research.

The bill rejects the Trump administration's proposal-and illegal efforts-to cap indirect cost rates at 15%, which would devastate biomedical research, and it continues a longstanding provision that prohibits NIH from implementing such a cap. The bill also rejects the Trump administration's misguided elimination of programs across NIH by maintaining level funding for HIV vaccine research, training programs that support the next generation of researchers, and the Safe to Sleep campaign, among others.

The bill includes a new provision that prevents implementation of the Office of Management and Budget's misguided policy for NIH to fund significantly more multiyear research grants in one lump sum. This poorly thought-out policy would significantly cut the number of research grants NIH awards - just as it did in fiscal year 2025 when it resulted in 2,000 fewer research grants being funded. More needs to be done to protect NIH research, but the provision included in this bill is an important step in preventing the Trump administration from decimating the biomedical research enterprise Congress has built in a bipartisan manner over decades, which has long been the envy of the world and drives medical innovation that has saved millions of lives. The bill also includes a new authority for NIH to address loopholes in sexual harassment reporting and strengthen accountability by requiring institutions to complete investigations into concerns about harassment, bullying, retaliation, or hostile working conditions, even if the alleged perpetrator leaves their current position and is no longer employed by the institution.

Helping Families Afford Energy Bills: The bill includes $4.045 billion for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a $20 million increase over fiscal year 2025, to help low-income households with home heating and cooling costs.

For Child Care and Early Learning Programs, the bill includes:

• $8.8 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), an $85 million increase over fiscal year 2025
• $12.4 billion for Head Start, an $85 million increase.
• • Much more needs to be done to address our broken child care system and ensure every working family can find and afford child care, which is critical for businesses and our economy too. But sustained annual increases in these programs are critical in the meantime. The bill also sustains funding for Preschool Development Grants, which President Trump pushed to defund and House Republicans' bill eliminated.

Addressing Substance Use Disorders and Mental Health: The bill provides $7.4 billion for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an increase of $65 million over fiscal year 2025-delivering increased funding to address the rising toll of opioid overdoses fueled by fentanyl, maintain access to substance use disorder prevention and treatment, and improve access to mental health services.

In addition to rejecting President Trump's proposed $1 billion cut (-15%) to SAMHSA programs, the bill maintains SAMHSA as its own, independent agency to help ensure substance use and mental health remain a priority at HHS. The bill also includes new guardrails to ensure SAMHSA funds are allocated as intended. The bill includes:

• $991 million, a $5 million increase over fiscal year 2025, for the Mental Health Block Grant
• $2.0 billion, a $5 million increase, for the Substance Use Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Services Block Grant
• $1.6 billion for State Opioid Response grants, a $20 million increase
• $145 million for the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program.

It protects and strengthens key investments in mental health programs by increasing funding for Project AWARE, the Garrett Lee Smith Suicide Prevention Program, the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention, and the National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network. The bill also provides $535 million, a $15 million increase over fiscal year 2025, for the 988 Suicide Prevention Lifeline, to provide additional support for the program as reliance on 988 increases since it was launched.

Additionally, the bill delivers a floor of $164 million in investments within the Department of Education to address the shortage of school-based mental health professionals and services in our nation's K-12 schools.

Essential Health Care Programs: The bill protects investments in health care access and affordability, and the health care workforce-maintaining investments in core programs, including $1.86 billion for Community Health Centers and $130 million for the National Health Service Corps. The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is fully funded-rejecting President Trump's 36% proposed cut-and the bill affirms support for the mission and scientific integrity of the task force, rejecting President Trump and Secretary Kennedy's efforts to sideline its work to ensure that Americans have affordable access to critical services. The bill also includes a $53.3 million increase in rural health programs to boost recruitment of health care providers to practice in rural areas and support rural hospitals.

Public Health: The bill includes $9.1 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), rejecting the roughly $4 billion-or 50%-cut to CDC programs proposed by the Trump administration, as well as the $1.7 billion overall cut included in House Republicans' bill. The bill also requires HHS to support staffing levels to carry out the CDC's programs.

The bill helps support state and local health departments by sustaining critical programs across the CDC, including funding for chronic diseases, the Office of Smoking and Health, injury prevention programs (including firearm injury and mortality research), global health programs, and immunization and infectious disease prevention programs. It provides increases in critical programs including for emerging infectious diseases, food safety, chronic diseases, data modernization, and bolsters state health departments through an increase in Public Health Infrastructure and Capacity grants.

HIV/AIDS: The bill includes level funding of $613 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative, which provides high-need jurisdictions with prevention and treatment services for people at high risk for HIV transmission. This includes $220 million within three CDC Domestic HIV/AIDS Prevention and Research programs to develop and deploy innovative data management solutions, increase access to PrEP, and better detect and respond to HIV clusters, and it includes $128.9 million for the CDC's global HIV/AIDS program. The bill also provides level funding for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS program, including dental services and training for health care practitioners, two initiatives that President Trump sought to eliminate in his budget proposal. The bill rejects House Republicans' proposal to cut HIV/AIDS programs by over $1.5 billion and President Trump's proposal for cuts of over $900 million.

Women's Health: The bill protects funding for reproductive health programs, including Title X and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program, which President Trump and House Republicans proposed eliminating. The bill also increases investments in maternal health across HRSA, CDC, and NIH with a nearly $60 million increase for programs that aim to address maternal mental health, prevent pregnancy-related deaths, support best practices to improve maternal health outcomes, and invest in women's health research.

For the first time, the bill provides funding for a new menopause initiative, the Menopause Research to Action Network, to translate research into clinical practice for women. The bill also provides funding to states to collect data and report on access to medical forensic exams for survivors of sexual assault. Importantly, the bill increases funding for the Maternal Mental Health Hotline and maternal health safety initiatives, and it protects funding for Healthy Start, which works with moms and babies to improve health outcomes before, during, and after pregnancy. President Trump proposed cuts of over $600 million in maternal and child health funding in his budget request and proposed defunding the Healthy Start program altogether.

Pandemic Preparedness and Biodefense: The bill includes $3.69 billion for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR). It includes a $35 million increase over fiscal year 2025 for the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA); a $25 million increase for Project Bioshield; and a $20 million increase for the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS). It sustains funding for Industrial Base Management and Supply Chain (IBMSC) activities to help ensure that critical resources in the public health supply chain-including raw materials, medical countermeasures, and ancillary supplies-are manufactured in the United States. It also includes $2 million to support a new program to improve emergency medical services and trauma care during a public health emergency.

Administration for Community Living (ACL): The bill includes $2.5 billion, an increase of $17 million over fiscal year 2025, for ACL, and it rebuffs President Trump's proposal to collapse ACL into other agencies within HHS. ACL plays an instrumental role in supporting older adults and Americans with disabilities so they can live and participate fully in their communities. The bill includes $1.1 billion for ACL's senior nutrition programs, and it provides targeted increases for family caregiver programs and home and community-based supportive services.

Department of Education

Department of Education: The bill provides $79.0 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Education, an increase of $217 million over fiscal year 2025 and $12 billion more than President Trump's budget request.

The bill rejects the Trump administration's proposals to drastically reduce Department of Education funding and instead continues support for states, school districts, and institutions of higher education. It continues to appropriate funding to the Department of Education for the range of programs it is specifically authorized to carry out by a variety of longstanding, bipartisan authorization statutes that unambiguously place these responsibilities with the Department of Education. This includes funding for K-12 formula and competitive grant programs, career and technical education (CTE) and adult education programs, federal student aid, postsecondary competitive grants, civil rights enforcement and program administration, and oversight necessary to help states implement federal laws intended to improve educational outcomes for students and protect all students from discrimination. As the Trump administration continues to illegally offload the Department of Education's responsibilities-creating new inefficiencies, costs, and risks to funding for states and schools and threatening educational outcomes-the agreement states that no authority exists for the Department of Education to transfer its fundamental responsibilities to other agencies. The bill also includes a new requirement for the Department to maintain the staff necessary to fulfill its statutory responsibilities, including carrying out programs and activities funded in this bill in a timely manner.

It also includes new measures to ensure the Department of Education makes formula grants available to states and districts on time, preventing funding from being withheld and creating chaos for students, teachers, and families.

Elementary and Secondary Education: The bill strengthens investments in foundational formula grant programs for elementary and secondary education and in public schools, teachers, and students-rejecting the $4.5 billion cut and proposed consolidations in President Trump's budget request for a new $2 billion block grant program.

• The bill boosts funding for Title I-A grants by $20 million above the fiscal year 2025 level to $18.4 billion. It rejects House Republicans' proposal to rescind and cut a combined $4.7 billion from Title I-A. More than 80% of the nation's school districts receive these funds, and nearly 25 million students go to schools receiving Title I funding.
• The bill also provides $15.19 billion, an increase of $20 million over fiscal year 2025, for all three IDEA Special Education State grant programs and retains each as a separate program. IDEA state grant programs support more than seven million students and children with disabilities and their families who receive IDEA services through these programs. The bill also continues all IDEA national programs, rejecting the proposal to consolidate those funds within IDEA state grant programs.
• • Senator Van Hollen continues to champion full funding for these programs through the Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers (PACT) Act and the IDEA Full Funding Act.
• The bill maintains level funding of $150 million for the Full-Service Community Schools program and preserves it and other essential K-12 grants as separate programs.

The bill also continues current investments across a range of other important formula and competitive grant programs authorized to improve teaching and learning in elementary and secondary schools, rejecting President Trump's proposed elimination of $1.5 billion in total funding for nine important programs.

Career and Technical Education (CTE): The bill provides $1.45 billion for CTE grants and $729 million for adult education grants and appropriates such funding to the Department of Education to carry out these programs, rejecting President Trump's call to eliminate federal support for adult education. The bill also includes new measures requiring both CTE and adult education formula grants to be awarded in a timely way to prevent any administration from withholding these critical funds, which occurred this past summer.

Higher Education: The agreement provides a total maximum Pell Grant award of $7,395 for the 2026-2027 award year, protecting the existing Pell Grant and rejecting President Trump's proposal to slash the Pell Grant by over $1000. This coming school year, Pell Grants are expected to help over 7 million students at all stages of life pursue postsecondary education and further their careers.

The bill also sustains funding for the administration of student aid programs. This funding supports a wide range of activities, including: implementing the FAFSA; disbursing student aid; ensuring services are available to student loan borrowers; implementing more affordable repayment plans; and fixing longstanding issues in student loan forgiveness programs. Finally, the bill maintains provisions from the Senate bill to help Congress conduct oversight over the new higher education provisions contained in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

The bill includes additional investments for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority-Serving Institutions:

Strengthening HBCUs: $406 million, a $5 million increase

• Strengthening HBCU Masters Program: $20 million
• Strengthening Historically Black Graduate Institutions: $103 million, a $2 million increase
• Strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions: $23 million, a $1 million increase
• Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions: $231 million
• Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans: $28 million

The bill also reasserts Congress' power over key higher education spending decisions, preventing Secretary McMahon from having the authority to unilaterally cut and defund programs as she did in fiscal year 2025 under Republicans' yearlong continuing resolution.

To recruit, develop, and retain an effective teacher and school leader workforce, the bill also includes $70 million for the Teacher Quality Partnership program, $15 million for the Hawkins Centers of Excellence to help educator preparation programs address educator shortages, and $90 million required to be used for the Supporting Effective Educator Development program. President Trump proposed defunding each of these programs.

The bill includes $1.191 billion for TRIO, level with fiscal year 2025; $388 million for GEAR UP, level with fiscal year 2025; $75 million for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program (CCAMPIS), level with fiscal year 2025; and $80 million for International Education programs. President Trump proposed defunding each of these programs.

Protecting Students from Discrimination: The bill rejects President Trump's proposed cut of $49 million, or one-third of the total budget, for the Office for Civil Rights, and instead maintains its current budget of $140 million and requires the Department to support the staffing levels necessary for OCR to fulfill its statutory responsibilities. The Department of Education recently recalled more than 200 staff after reducing half the staff at OCR early last year and allowing its backlog of work to grow, denying students and families timely remediation of illegal discrimination.

Advancing Education Research, Statistics, and Assessments: The bill rejects the massive reduction of $532 million or 67% proposed in President Trump's budget request for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and instead provides $790 million, a reduction of $3 million, for IES. The Trump administration's significant workforce reductions and program delays at IES this year have caused it to fail to meet statutory requirements. The bill requires the Department to support staffing levels necessary for IES and the National Center for Education Statistics to fulfill their statutory responsibilities.

Department of Labor

Department of Labor: The bill provides $13.7 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Labor, an increase of $65 million over fiscal year 2025 and $4 billion more than the budget request.

The bill rejects the harmful cuts proposed by President Trump, including his proposal to block grant our nation's workforce training programs. The bill also includes a new requirement for the Department to maintain the staff necessary to carry out its statutory responsibilities, including carrying out programs and activities funded in this bill in a timely manner.

Workforce Development: The bill includes $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) formula grants, protecting essential investments made in recent years. It provides $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships and $105 million for YouthBuild. The agreement also rejects President Trump's call to eliminate Job Corps and instead provides $1.76 billion and blocks the elimination of Job Corps Centers unless such closures meet statutory and regulatory requirements. Rejecting President Trump's proposed cuts and continuing funding for these key workforce development programs will help grow the economy, provide workers with the skills they need to secure good-paying jobs of the future, and help American businesses compete globally.

Worker Protection: The bill rejects drastic reductions proposed in President Trump's request and adopted in House Republicans' bill and sustains key investments in DOL's worker protection agencies charged with enforcing requirements for employers to pay workers what they earn and provide safe and healthy workplaces.

The bill also provides current funding of $116 million for the Bureau of International Labor Affairs, $46 million more than President Trump's budget request and a rejection of House Republicans' proposal to outright defund the Bureau. These funds are used to support and enforce labor provisions of free trade agreements and trade preference programs and combat international child labor and forced labor. Finally, the bill rejects the proposed elimination of the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs and Women's Bureau. Instead, the bill provides $100 million for OFCCP and current funding of $23 million for the bureau.

Other Related Agencies

AmeriCorps: The agreement rejects President Trump push to eliminate AmeriCorps and instead sustains funding for all of AmeriCorps' grant programs by providing a total of $1.25 billion to the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) to administer these programs. The bill also includes new provisions requiring any administration to award AmeriCorps state formula funding in a timely way and to ensure CNCS will award competitive grants in a timely fashion, as well. The bill also rejects attempts to rename AmeriCorps. This investment will continue support for AmeriCorps members serving in communities across the country and working to address pressing challenges, including responding to natural disasters, assisting in schools, supporting our veterans, promoting economic opportunity, and conserving and protecting the environment.

Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS): The bill rejects President Trump's budget proposal to eliminate and defund IMLS and instead provides $292 million, a small reduction of $3 million relative to fiscal year 2025, to maintain critical investments in America's libraries and museums. The bill also includes new measures to help ensure IMLS allocates funding as required by the bill.

Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB): As a result of Congressional Republicans' approval of the Rescissions Act of 2025-the first ever partisan rescissions bill signed into law-no funds are provided in the bill for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the more than 1,500 locally owned public TV and radio stations nationwide that expected continued support. For over 50 years CPB funds and infrastructure investments supported local public media stations. Republicans' devastating rescissions bill has severely hurt 120 stations that relied on CPB for more than 25% of their revenue and has already started to shutter local stations. In addition, dozens of other stations have eliminated staffing, programming, and service hours with more expected in the future. The Senators will continue to advocate to restore funding for essential local stations and public safety infrastructure.