Cotton Introduces Bill to Overhaul Workforce Education

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Patrick McCann (202) 224-2353
October 8, 2025

Cotton Introduces Bill to Overhaul Workforce Education

Washington, DC - Senator Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) today introduced the American Workforce Act, legislation that would overhaul workforce education. Funding from the bill would provide training vouchers to pay for education programs designed by employers.

"For decades, the federal government has spent billions of dollars propping up bloated colleges that serve a minority of our citizens-and recently, have let antisemitic and anti-American ideas flourish. Meanwhile, the majority of Americans who don't go to college are left behind. My bill will right that wrong by investing heavily in a new workforce education strategy to help working Americans get ahead," said Senator Cotton.

Text of the bill can be found here.

The American Workforce Act would:

• Create a $9,000 federal voucher available to prospective "trainees," defined as any citizen with a high school degree/GED, but without a bachelor's degree or higher.
• Offer an additional $1,000 bonus to employers for each trainee that is hired after completion of the workforce training program.
• Require participating employers to provide training for positions paid at least 80% of the local median household income.
• Allow the voucher to subsidize employer-led workforce training that offers a full time, paid position combing on-the-job experience and skilled workforce training.
• Give employers wide flexibility to build their own training programs or delegate the training to a valid third-party entity, such as a trade association, community college, high school, non-profit, or union.
• Require E-Verify at participating employers.

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