Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027

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Bill ID: 119/hr/9260
Last Updated: July 29, 2026

Sponsored by

Rep. Aderholt, Robert B. [R-AL-4]

ID: A000055

Follow the money

The bill

Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2027

HR. 9260, 119th Congress — read as touching Hospitals & Health Systems.

The sponsor

Rep. Aderholt, Robert B. [R-AL-4]

Every bill has someone who introduced it. That name is where the paper trail starts.

The money

$119,637 raised

23 itemised contributions to this sponsor, pulled from FEC filings.

The alignment

55% match to Project 2025

This bill's text tracks the "Department of Labor and Related Agencies" section, p. 630-632 of the Mandate for Leadership.

Bill's Journey to Becoming a Law

Track this bill's progress through the legislative process

Latest Action

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 604.

June 10, 2026

Introduced

📍 Current Status

Next: The bill will be reviewed by relevant committees who will debate, amend, and vote on it.

🏛️

Committee Review

🗳️

Floor Action

✅

Passed House

🏛️

Senate Review

🎉

Passed Congress

🖊️

Presidential Action

⚖️

Became Law

📚 How does a bill become a law?

1. Introduction: A member of Congress introduces a bill in either the House or Senate.

2. Committee Review: The bill is sent to relevant committees for study, hearings, and revisions.

3. Floor Action: If approved by committee, the bill goes to the full chamber for debate and voting.

4. Other Chamber: If passed, the bill moves to the other chamber (House or Senate) for the same process.

5. Conference: If both chambers pass different versions, a conference committee reconciles the differences.

6. Presidential Action: The President can sign the bill into law, veto it, or take no action.

7. Became Law: If signed (or if Congress overrides a veto), the bill becomes law!

Bill Summary

Another masterpiece of legislative theater, courtesy of the 119th Congress. Let's dissect this monstrosity, shall we?

The Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Act for 2027 is a $2.6 billion behemoth, because who needs fiscal responsibility when you can just throw money at problems? The bill allocates funds to various programs, including the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the National Apprenticeship Act, because God forbid we actually fix the underlying issues with our education system.

The WIOA gets a whopping $1.8 billion for adult employment and training activities, as well as dislocated worker employment and training activities. Because, you know, throwing money at people who lost their jobs will definitely solve the problem of a stagnant economy. And let's not forget the $794 million for national programs, including $325 million for the dislocated workers assistance national reserve, because we all know that's exactly what we need – more bureaucratic red tape.

Notable increases include a $135 million allocation for training and employment assistance under sections 168(b), 169(c), and 170 of the WIOA. Because, clearly, the previous funding wasn't enough to solve the problem, so let's just throw more money at it. And who cares about the fiscal impact? We'll just add it to the deficit, because what's another few billion dollars among friends?

The riders attached to this bill are a special kind of ridiculous. For example, outlying areas can now submit a single application for a consolidated grant, which will undoubtedly lead to more efficient use of funds (said no one ever). And let's not forget the provision allowing the Secretary of Labor to reserve up to 10% of funds for "technical assistance and additional activities related to the transition to the WIOA." Because, you know, that's exactly what we need – more bureaucratic busywork.

In conclusion, this bill is a symptom of a deeper disease: the inability of our elected officials to make tough decisions and actually fix problems. Instead, they'd rather throw money at issues, hoping to buy their way out of accountability. The fiscal impact? Who cares? We'll just add it to the deficit and pretend it's not a problem. After all, what's a few trillion dollars among friends?

Diagnosis: Terminal stupidity, with a side of corruption and greed. Prognosis: Poor. Treatment: A healthy dose of skepticism and a strong stomach, because this bill is going to make you want to vomit.

Related Topics

Defense Spending & ProcurementEducation & Student Aid
Generated using Llama 3.1 70B (Dr. Haus personality)

💰 Campaign Finance Network

Rep. Aderholt, Robert B. [R-AL-4]

Congress 119 • 2024 Election Cycle

Total Contributions
$119,637
23 donors
PACs
$0
Organizations
$4,600
Committees
$0
Individuals
$115,037

No PAC contributions found

1
CHALMERS, ADAMS, BACKER & KAUFMAN LLC
1 transaction
$2,900
2
IMPACT JOURNALS
1 transaction
$1,200
3
SUIT, LLC
1 transaction
$500

No committee contributions found

1
ROBIN, CRAIG A.
1 transaction
$6,600
2
HOKR, BRETT H.
1 transaction
$6,600
3
LESSMANN, KURT M.
1 transaction
$6,600
4
KHALILI, KAVEH
1 transaction
$6,600
5
BUFFALOE, STEPHANIE
1 transaction
$6,600
6
COLLAZO, FRANCISCO JOSE
1 transaction
$6,600
7
HUNT, RAY L.
1 transaction
$6,600
8
MCDANIEL, MARK
1 transaction
$6,600
9
SPITZER, TERRY
1 transaction
$6,600
10
EVERBACH, CHRIS
1 transaction
$5,595
11
COLLAZO, CARMEN ANA
1 transaction
$5,042
12
MANLEY, RICHARD A.
1 transaction
$5,000
13
JONES, DEBORAH
1 transaction
$5,000
14
HINCHMAN, ROBERT CLAYTON
1 transaction
$5,000
15
VICK, BRAD A.
1 transaction
$5,000
16
JOHNSON, TIM E.
1 transaction
$5,000
17
SULLIVAN, VAN A.
1 transaction
$5,000
18
THORNTON, STEVEN L.
1 transaction
$5,000
19
ISENBERG, HENRY LEWIS III
1 transaction
$5,000
20
MCCARTER, TIMOTHY G.
1 transaction
$5,000

Donor Network - Rep. Aderholt, Robert B. [R-AL-4]

PACs
Organizations
Individuals
Politicians

Hub layout: Politicians in center, donors arranged by type in rings around them.

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Showing 45 nodes and 47 connections

Total contributions: $47

Top Donors - Rep. Aderholt, Robert B. [R-AL-4]

Showing top 23 donors by contribution amount

3 Orgs20 Individuals

Industry Impact

Which industries are materially affected by specific provisions in this bill. 17 helped, 2 harmed.

  • Title II includes substantial funding for Medicaid ($468.6B), Medicare trust funds ($686.8B), HRSA programs (e.g., $1.8B for primary health care), and hospital-specific provisions like $100M for payments to eligible hospitals with <50 beds and wage index <0.90 (rural health flexibility grants).

  • +Labor Unionsconfidence 0.90

    Title I includes funding for workforce development programs under WIOA and National Apprenticeship Act, which support union apprenticeship programs and labor training initiatives (e.g., Sec. 106 allows transfers for technical assistance to grantees, and Sec. 112 provides up to $450,000 of excess personal property for apprenticeship programs).

  • +Health Insuranceconfidence 0.90

    Title II funds CMS programs including Medicaid and Medicare, which directly reimburse private health insurers through Medicare Advantage and managed care arrangements; Sec. 226 allows transfers to support Medicare program management.

  • +Pharmaceuticalsconfidence 0.90

    Title II funds NIH ($2.3B for NIDDK, $2.86B for NINDS, etc.) and CDC vaccine programs, supporting pharmaceutical R&D; Sec. 237 rescinds $2B from Nonrecurring Expenses Fund but overall funding levels remain high for drug development.

  • +Real Estateconfidence 0.90

    Section 204 of Title II provides that 2.5% of amounts appropriated for programs authorized under section 241 of the PHS Act shall be made available for evaluation of such programs, which could benefit real estate firms involved in healthcare facility construction or renovation projects funded through these evaluations.

  • +Teachers Unionsconfidence 0.85

    Title III funds education programs including Title I grants for disadvantaged students and special education (IDEA), which benefit public school systems and thus teachers unions through increased funding for school operations and staff.

+ 13 more industries not shown.

Who funds the sponsor on these industries

For each industry this bill affects, here's what the sponsor (Rep. Aderholt, Robert B. [R-AL-4])received from donors associated with that industry during the 2022–present cycles. Donations are not proof of intent — they are a record of who funds the people writing the law.

Industries this bill HELPS

Project 2025 Policy Matches

This bill shows semantic similarity to the following sections of the Project 2025 policy document.AI-enhanced analysis provides detailed alignment ratings.

Department of Labor and Related Agencies

Weak
Vector: 65%
Pages: 630-632AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill provides funding for workforce development programs and references WIOA, but it does not include explicit provisions for outcome‑based metrics, program evaluation, streamlining, or tying funding to results as emphasized in the Project 2025 policy."

Key themes:workforce developmentWIOAtraining programsemployment assistance

— 597 — Department of Labor and Related Agencies Alternative View. While the federal government has a duty to promote economy and efficiency in federal hiring and contracting, and thus should base decisions on skills as opposed to degrees, it is not the federal government’s role to determine whether private employers may or may not include degree requirements in job descriptions and in their hiring decisions. The inappropriate reverence given to degree requirements is a byproduct of the federal government’s heavy subsidi- zation of BA degrees. Phasing down federal subsidies would be a better way to eliminate barriers to jobs for individuals without BA degrees. Federal Workforce Development Programs. Existing federally funded work- force development and training programs should be reassessed to ensure they are outcome-based and truly deliver value to taxpayers and job seekers. As of 2019, the federal government spent approximately $17 billion annually on 43 federal employment and training programs administered across nine federal agencies, many of which overlap with at least one other program. Many of these programs track only inputs or individuals served, not outcomes or outputs, and do not swiftly identify bad-actor grantees. The federal government should identify underperforming programs and eliminate or redirect that funding to programs with strong outcome-based metrics. l Evaluate and streamline workforce development programs, ensuring evidence-based outcomes. In its reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA),14 Congress should evaluate and streamline the existing workforce development programs to ensure there is no overlap or fragmentation between programs. Congress should also ensure strong evidence-based outcomes for each program and tie federal funding for those programs to the outcomes achieved. l Review employment and training programs to ensure outcome- based metrics. DOL and other federal agencies with jurisdiction over employment and training programs should review their programs and utilize all available tools and authority to ensure these programs contain strong outcome-based metrics. To the extent that agencies have this authority, they should reevaluate funding for programs that do not meet those evidence-based and outcomes-based requirements. Finally, strong internal policies should be implemented to ensure bad-actor grantees are identified and sanctioned expeditiously. Federal Unemployment Insurance Program. In the post-pandemic land- scape, the federal government should restore the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program’s purpose with a particular focus on reestablishing program integrity and accountability. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act15

Department of Labor and Related Agencies

Weak
Vector: 64%
Pages: 648-650AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill provides funding for ETA workforce programs, whereas Project 2025 calls for reducing ETA budgets and restructuring DOL leadership; both reference the Department of Labor and ETA but pursue opposing fiscal and personnel goals."

Key themes:Department of LaborEmployment and Training Administrationworkforce development

— 615 — Department of Labor and Related Agencies ORGANIZATIONAL AGENDA Budget l Reduce the agencies’ budgets to the low end of the historical average. The Trump Administration’s FY 2020 request, $10.9 billion, would provide a workable target for spending reductions for DOL, for example. l Spending reductions should occur primarily in the Employment and Training Administration (ETA). l Focus health and safety inspections on egregious offenders, as other inspections are often abused and usurp state and local government prerogatives. Personnel l Maximize hiring of political appointees. At its best, the Trump Administration Department of Labor worked with up to 150 political appointees. That is still a tiny percentage of the department. The number of political appointees should be maximized in order to improve the political accountability of the department. l Appoint new EEOC and NLRB general counsels on Day One. The Biden Administration broke significant precedent by firing the EEOC and NLRB general counsels despite their term appointments. The next Administration should do the same and expand on the Biden Administration’s new precedent by refusing to acknowledge terms in other offices, where applicable, and installing acting or full new officers immediately. l Implement a hiring freeze for career officials. A hiring freeze imposes financial discipline on agencies’ personnel costs and reduces agency bloat. Office of Compliance Initiatives l DOL should fully staff the Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI), which was reopened by the Trump Administration after the Obama Administration closed its predecessor down. OCI educates employers and workers on their rights, responsibilities, and available recourse under the many statutes, rules, and regulations administered by DOL. Most businesses want to follow the law and OCI exists to make knowing the rules easier, which leads to increased compliance.

Department of Labor and Related Agencies

Weak
Vector: 64%
Pages: 630-632AI Enhanced

AI Analysis:

"The bill provides funding for workforce development and training programs but does not incorporate the Project 2025 emphasis on outcome-based metrics, program streamlining, or tying funding to performance, resulting only in tangential alignment."

Key themes:workforce developmentWIOAtraining programstechnical assistance

— 597 — Department of Labor and Related Agencies Alternative View. While the federal government has a duty to promote economy and efficiency in federal hiring and contracting, and thus should base decisions on skills as opposed to degrees, it is not the federal government’s role to determine whether private employers may or may not include degree requirements in job descriptions and in their hiring decisions. The inappropriate reverence given to degree requirements is a byproduct of the federal government’s heavy subsidi- zation of BA degrees. Phasing down federal subsidies would be a better way to eliminate barriers to jobs for individuals without BA degrees. Federal Workforce Development Programs. Existing federally funded work- force development and training programs should be reassessed to ensure they are outcome-based and truly deliver value to taxpayers and job seekers. As of 2019, the federal government spent approximately $17 billion annually on 43 federal employment and training programs administered across nine federal agencies, many of which overlap with at least one other program. Many of these programs track only inputs or individuals served, not outcomes or outputs, and do not swiftly identify bad-actor grantees. The federal government should identify underperforming programs and eliminate or redirect that funding to programs with strong outcome-based metrics. l Evaluate and streamline workforce development programs, ensuring evidence-based outcomes. In its reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA),14 Congress should evaluate and streamline the existing workforce development programs to ensure there is no overlap or fragmentation between programs. Congress should also ensure strong evidence-based outcomes for each program and tie federal funding for those programs to the outcomes achieved. l Review employment and training programs to ensure outcome- based metrics. DOL and other federal agencies with jurisdiction over employment and training programs should review their programs and utilize all available tools and authority to ensure these programs contain strong outcome-based metrics. To the extent that agencies have this authority, they should reevaluate funding for programs that do not meet those evidence-based and outcomes-based requirements. Finally, strong internal policies should be implemented to ensure bad-actor grantees are identified and sanctioned expeditiously. Federal Unemployment Insurance Program. In the post-pandemic land- scape, the federal government should restore the Unemployment Insurance (UI) program’s purpose with a particular focus on reestablishing program integrity and accountability. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act15 — 598 — Mandate for Leadership: The Conservative Promise unemployment programs were defrauded of hundreds of billions of dollars, includ- ing by state-sponsored hacking groups. Not all state agencies are yet through their backlogs of appeals and fraud cases; the recovery of lost funds has been minimal; and fraud has now spilled into the traditional UI programs. The CARES Act era drastically altered the entire UI ecosystem: The federal–state partnership shifted toward federal programs and funding, and the social insurance purpose of the program was disconnected as benefits were extended, expanded to more typically uncovered populations, and made exponentially larger. l Congress should enact bipartisan commonsense UI program reforms, including statutory authority for the Labor Office of Inspector General (OIG) to access all state UI records for the purposes of investigation and requiring state agencies to crossmatch applicants with the National Directory of New Hires. l Congress should also develop a framework (through commission of a congressional report to serve as a blueprint) of technical standards on broader tech topics like usability, state agency cybersecurity postures, data taxonomy standardization, and/or identity verification standards. l Congress should provide DOL with more reasonable enforcement tools for the UI system. Currently, DOL can either send a strongly worded letter or revoke the entire Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA)16 tax credit, which would place an immediate 6 percent to 7 percent tax on all covered employers. l DOL should review all actual or planned procurements against the $2 billion (under the American Rescue Plan Act)17 for UI fraud detection, accessibility, and equity investments. These funds do not have appropriations timelines and have very minimal statutory descriptions of the intended purpose. DOL should also review and propose changes to improve state monitoring programs including developing evidence-based frameworks for evaluating the technical readiness and security postures of the state agencies; strengthen its relationship with the OIG and Government Accountability Office (GAO), and support continued development of fraud prosecution with DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the financial services community; ensure administrative and IT funding is outcome-based; and gather and publish best practices from state officials, industry partners, and other vendors who deliver UI services.

Showing 3 of 5 policy matches

About These Correlations

Policy matches are calculated using a hybrid approach: initial candidates are found using semantic similarity between bill summaries and Project 2025 policy text, then an AI model (Llama 3.1 70B) provides detailed alignment ratings and analysis. Ratings range from 1 (minimal alignment) to 5 (very strong alignment). This analysis does not imply direct causation or intent.

Full Policy Text

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