ADVOCACY & POLICY UPDATE - August 11, 2025

Administration Releases Workforce Development Plan

Washington Update

August Recess

The House and Senate are both in August recess with both chambers reconvening on September 2, 2025.

Appropriations

President Donald Trump signaled he may meet with Democratic congressional leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries before the October 1 deadline to fund the government, though he downplayed the likelihood of productive talks. Lawmakers are expected to consider a stopgap funding measure to keep the federal government open, but Republicans will need Democratic support in the Senate to pass any bill and avert a partial shutdown. 

​Meanwhile, the Republican Study Committee continued preparations for a potential second reconciliation package this fall. The group hosted President of Paragon Health Institute Brian Blase, its Director Medicare Reform Initiative Demetrios Kouzoukas, and company Program Manager Gabrielle Minarik to brief House GOP aides. Discussions covered potential health care provisions, including deep cuts to Medicaid spending, Medicare restructuring, adjustments to drug discount programs, and expanded use of health savings accounts.

Administration Workforce Development Plan

​On Tuesday, August 12, the Trump administration released America’s Talent Strategy: Equipping American Workers for the Golden Age, a multi-agency plan to modernize the workforce system, expand alternatives to four-year degrees, and address the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the labor market. It was developed jointly by the Departments of Labor, Commerce, and Education, and outlines factors affecting the workforce such as limited employer talent pipelines, lack of coordination across workforce programs, restricted access to high-wage career paths, and the rapid pace of technology-driven changes to jobs.

​The plan outlines actions to expand Registered Apprenticeships, support Workforce Pell Grants for short-term training, broaden access to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and integrate federal workforce funding streams into state block grants under the “Make America Skilled Again” (MASA) proposal. It includes steps to ease apprenticeship registration requirements, accelerate approval of new program standards, launch AI-focused retraining pilots, and prioritize funding for programs with demonstrated results. Employers would play a larger role in defining in-demand skills, validating training programs, and directing investments toward high-value credentials. Funding decisions would be linked to performance measures such as employment, earnings, and credential attainment.

​The strategy is organized around expanding work-based learning and aligning education with priority industries; improving labor force participation through better skill matching and targeted support; streamlining and coordinating workforce programs across states; strengthening accountability through improved outcome tracking; and fostering adaptability by promoting AI literacy, developing pathways to technology-related jobs, and supporting rapid reskilling. Additional components include coordinating data systems, creating a public “Credentials of Value” scorecard, and expanding employer-led training in key sectors. It also includes agreements with universities to support workforce programs in exchange for restored federal funding.

​The proposal would make changes to certain workforce and career and technical education programs, including reductions in some areas, particularly at community colleges. Supporters highlight the potential for more efficient use of resources and stronger alignment between training and industry needs. Critics have raised concerns that adjustments to Pell Grant eligibility and reductions in certain programs could limit access for some students and reduce the role of public institutions in workforce training.

Click here to read the full press release on the plan.

Click here to access the full plan.

Department of Labor Performance Dashboard

On Wednesday, August 13, the U.S. Department of Labor launched an online performance dashboard tracking the outcomes of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker programs. The tool compiles data from more than 550 local workforce development boards, offering a detailed view of program performance across the country. It presents several measures from Program Year 2023, including employment rates in the second and fourth quarters after participants exit a program, median earnings in the second quarter after exit, the proportion of participants who earned a credential during or within a year of participation, and the percentage of training participants who gained measurable skills during the year. It also reports on total participant counts, the number of participants who received training, and the number engaged in Registered Apprenticeship programs. Users can filter data by state or by specific local board, and a downloadable version of the dataset is available. Program Year 2024 data is expected to be added in late 2025.

Click here to read the full press release and access the dashboard.

Department of Labor BLS Commissioner

On Monday, August 11, President Donald Trump nominated E.J. Antoni as the next Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Antoni has a background in conservative think tanks and has suggested shifting from monthly to quarterly jobs reports. He raised the idea in an August 4 interview, proposing reliance on existing quarterly datasets published by the BLS. The proposal has drawn attention for its potential to affect markets and business decision-making, which often depend on monthly data. It is unclear whether the White House will adopt this change. The administration is considering ways to revise BLS data collection to address concerns about revisions. While experts see room for improvement in the agency’s processes, many note that significant changes would require additional resources that the administration has not indicated it will provide.

Department of Labor Deregulatory Agenda/H2-A Program

On Friday, August 15, the Trump administration released its regulatory agenda for the Labor Department and other federal agencies. According to the initial release DOL had over 100 items on its list of deregulatory actions, many of which had been part of an announcement DOL Secretary Lori Chavez- DeRemer initially made in July. Of note was the intent to propose a new Adverse Effect Wage Rate in February of 2026, which serves to calculate the minimum wage that employers pay immigrant farm workers under the H2-A visa program. In the filing to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the department said it is targeting the wage rate for “non-range agricultural occupations,” which includes farming, meatpacking and ranch jobs outside of the herding or production of livestock. The filing did not include more information about how it envisions changing the calculations, but any revision will have a significant impact on the agriculture industry, which depends on migrant workers to take farm jobs that U.S.-born workers won't.

​The Department also outlined plans to revisit regulations governing joint-employer designations, independent contractor status, and fiduciary obligations for 401(k) and other investment vehicles. Still unclear are the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposed heat safety standard for workers, as the regulatory agenda gives no timeframe for forward movement despite the Trump administration having held a series of public hearings from interested parties on the sweeping proposal.

​There are also three other rules that appear to be suspended for now including a rule related to state unemployment compensation data, child labor standards and rescission of rules governing how to calculate pay for “dual jobs,” in which a worker splits time between tipped and non-tipped duties — which largely affects the food industry.

Since its initial release, the agenda has gone from being publicly available to password- protected and is now down altogether. According to the White House’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the “system is under maintenance and will be back shortly.” USCM WDC staff will provide more information and share a link to the regulatory agenda when it becomes available.