With the government now reopened, congressional appropriators in the House and Senate are resuming work on completing the appropriations process for fiscal year (FY) 2026, including passing legislation funding critical job training and technical education programs.
The Senate’s FY26 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill, which funds education and workforce development programs and was approved by the Committee in July, maintains level funding for the Perkins Basic State Grant program. This program is essential for providing high-quality CTE across America. The bill also allocates $2.9 billion for Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act formula grants and $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships.
The House version of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, which was approved by the Committee in September, includes a $25 million increase in funding for Perkins and maintains level funding of $285 million for Registered Apprenticeships. However, the bill also reduces WIOA grants by $1.8 billion, eliminating funding for WIOA Adult Job Training and WIOA Youth Job Training grants.
Job recruitment, training, and placement, along with advanced technical education, are essential for the future of manufacturing in America. The House and Senate remain far apart on total spending levels, making it crucial for you to contact your members of Congress today. While the government needs to control spending, investing in the manufacturing workforce boosts productivity, increases tax revenues, and provides Americans with family-sustaining careers.
Click here to contact your members of Congress TODAY and urge them to pass a FY26 spending bill that provides the resources small businesses need for training programs and raises awareness of manufacturing careers.
Federal Government Reopens After 43-Day Shutdown
The federal government reopened on November 12, 2025, ending a 43-day shutdown that had become the longest in U.S. history. The shutdown began on October 1 after Congress failed to enact either full-year appropriations or a short-term continuing resolution for fiscal year 2026, triggering widespread furloughs and slowing a broad range of routine federal functions. Essential services continued, but many regulatory reviews, permitting actions, contracting activities, and public-facing operations were significantly disrupted.
The agreement to reopen the government followed days of intensified negotiations and was advanced by a bipartisan coalition in the Senate, which approved the measure on November 10 by a 60–40 vote. The House followed on November 12 with a 222–209 vote, sending the legislation to President Trump, who signed it that evening.
Under the deal, federal agencies are funded at current levels through January 30, 2026, giving lawmakers additional time to complete full-year appropriations. The package also includes full-year funding for several departments, including Agriculture, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and the Legislative Branch, while providing back pay for furloughed federal employees and prohibiting further layoffs during the funding period. However, several major bills—including the Labor, Health and Human Services (Labor–HHS) appropriations measure, which funds federal workforce development programs, including job training grants, apprenticeship initiatives, community college partnerships, and other employment services—remain unresolved and will require additional congressional action before the January deadline.
One of the other major sticking points in the shutdown—the extension of expanded Affordable Care Act health-insurance subsidies—was also left unresolved, with leadership instead committing to a standalone vote in December.
While the agreement provides short-term stability, Congress faces a compressed timeline to resolve remaining disputes over spending levels and policy riders—including the unfinished Labor–HHS bill—before the next deadline in late January, raising the possibility of renewed budget tensions later this winter.
U.S. and Switzerland Outline New Trade Framework
The United States and Switzerland announced a new “Framework for a Fair, Balanced, and Reciprocal Trade Agreement,” highlighting the main points of an upcoming bilateral deal. Under this framework, Switzerland has agreed to invest at least $200 billion in the United States over the next five years, with at least $67 billion planned for 2026. These investments are expected to cover sectors like advanced manufacturing, aerospace, pharmaceuticals, and industrial equipment. In return, the United States will set a tariff cap of 15 percent on Swiss-originated goods, matching the limit for European Union products. However, the White House confirmed that this tariff cap does not change existing Section 232 duties, which will still apply to goods such as Swiss steel, aluminum, and related products unless explicitly amended.
The framework also includes provisions aimed at expanding market access for U.S. exporters by removing tariffs on certain U.S. industrial goods, seafood, and agricultural products entering Switzerland. Other elements include plans to simplify non-tariff barriers—such as Switzerland’s recognition of U.S. motor-vehicle safety standards—as well as cooperation on digital trade, investment screening, supply-chain resilience, and labor and environmental standards. Both governments plan to finalize the agreement in the first quarter of 2026, subject to review and approval.
EPA & Army Corps Release WOTUS Proposed Rule
The Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers have introduced a new proposal aimed at resetting the federal definition of “waters of the United States” (WOTUS) under the Clean Water Act. Released on November 17, 2025, the proposal seeks to align federal jurisdiction with the Supreme Court’s ruling in Sackett v. EPA while providing a clearer roadmap for how water features are evaluated under federal law.
In this latest proposal, EPA and the Corps outline updated interpretations of several foundational terms that determine whether a water body falls under federal oversight. Among the terms receiving new definitions are “relatively permanent,” “continuous surface connection,” and “tributary.” The proposal also maintains long-standing exclusions—such as prior-converted cropland, certain ditches, groundwater, and waste-treatment systems—and incorporates new considerations for seasonally dependent water flow. Together, these revisions are designed to offer more consistent criteria for Clean Water Act permitting decisions.
The WOTUS definition has undergone several revisions over the past decade. The Obama-era 2015 Clean Water Rule expanded the scope of federally regulated waters, but it was quickly challenged in court and put on hold. The Trump Administration replaced it with the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule, which limited jurisdiction but was later rescinded. The Biden Administration introduced a new definition in early 2023, which was subsequently amended after Sackett further restricted federal authority over wetlands and waters with a continuous surface connection to navigable waters. These changes have created regulatory uncertainty for manufacturers, landowners, developers, and states.
Once officially published in the Federal Register, industry stakeholders—including manufacturers subject to Clean Water Act discharge or dredge-and-fill permitting—will have the opportunity to review the updated definitions and submit comments on how the changes might affect compliance requirements, project planning, and permitting timelines during a 45-day comment period. The agencies also intend to hold two hybrid public meetings to collect input.
EPA Proposes Revisions to PFAS Data-Reporting Rule Under TSCA
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a proposed rule to revise the October 2023 Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) reporting and recordkeeping regulation under TSCA Section 8(a)(7). Published on November 13, 2025, the proposal marks EPA’s first significant effort to update the PFAS reporting rule after receiving extensive feedback on implementation challenges from manufacturers, importers, and small entities.
The proposed revisions aim to narrow and clarify the scope of reporting obligations while making the rule more practical for businesses with complex or multi-tier supply chains. Key elements of the proposal include new or expanded exemptions for PFAS present in mixtures or products at concentrations of 0.1 percent or less, as well as exemptions for imported articles, impurities, certain by-products, research-and-development substances, and non-isolated intermediates. EPA stated that these changes are intended to reduce unnecessary or duplicative reporting and better target data collection toward PFAS that are intentionally manufactured or used.
Although the proposed rule may lessen burdens for some companies, the fundamental reporting framework remains mostly unchanged. Manufacturers and importers that produced or imported PFAS or PFAS-containing articles from 2011 to 2022 are still subject to the rule until any revisions are finalized. Reporting deadlines, which EPA previously extended to 2026 and 2027 depending on the size and activities of the entity, also remain the same at this stage of rulemaking.
EPA is accepting public comments on the proposal through December 29, 2025.
EPA Resumes Regulatory Actions Following Government Reopening
Following the reopening of the federal government, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved quickly to resume several regulatory actions with direct implications for manufacturers and metal-fabrication operations. In recent days, the EPA issued new rules and notices involving trichloroethylene (TCE) and the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for nine metal fabrication and area-finishing source categories.
On November 14, 2025, the EPA finalized an extension of the postponement of certain provisions of its December 2024 TSCA Section 6(a) rule regulating trichloroethylene. The extension delays until February 17, 2026, the effectiveness of conditions applied to TSCA Section 6(g) exemption uses, which were originally scheduled to take effect earlier. EPA cited ongoing petitions for administrative reconsideration, pending litigation, and the need for coordinated review as justification for the updated timeline. Importantly, while certain compliance obligations are postponed, most prohibitions on the manufacture, processing, and commercial use of TCE remain in place, and facilities should continue planning for long-term transition away from the solvent.
In addition, the EPA submitted an Information Collection Request (ICR) renewal to the Office of Management and Budget for the NESHAP covering nine metal fabrication and area-finishing source categories under 40 CFR Part 63, Subpart XXXXXX. The affected source categories are: (1) electrical and electronic equipment finishing operations; (2) fabricated metal products manufacturing; (3) fabricated plate work (boiler shops) manufacturing; (4) fabricated structural metal manufacturing; (5) heating equipment manufacturing, except electric; (6) industrial machinery and equipment finishing operations; (7) iron and steel forging; (8) primary metal products manufacturing; and (9) valves and pipe fittings manufacturing. The ICR maintains existing requirements for initial notifications, performance testing, compliance reports, and ongoing recordkeeping for facilities that use or emit metal fabrication hazardous air pollutants such as cadmium, chromium, lead, manganese, and nickel. Although the notice does not amend the underlying emissions standards, it reinforces EPA’s expectation that regulated facilities continue full compliance with all reporting and documentation obligations under the NESHAP.
Together, these actions show that EPA is speeding up regulatory efforts after the shutdown, with significant updates to several chemical-management and air-toxics programs.