The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proposed sweeping changes to federal grant regulations that could significantly affect how workforce development organizations operate. If implemented, these changes would impact planning, budgeting, subrecipient oversight, professional development, and service delivery, while creating new administrative burdens and uncertainty across federally funded workforce programs.
Public comments on the proposed rule are due July 13, and the new regulations could take effect as early as October 1, 2026.
To help workforce professionals understand the proposal and take action, the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals (NAWDP) and National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB) has developed a toolkit.
Download the Toolkit
The toolkit provides the information and resources you need to understand the proposed changes and effectively communicate their potential impact to federal, state, and local policymakers.
What’s Inside the Toolkit?
The toolkit will help you:
- Understand OMB’s proposed changes and why they matter to the workforce development system.
- Review the key provisions and how they could affect federally funded workforce programs.
- Identify which proposed changes apply to formula-funded programs.
- Learn strategies for submitting effective comments to OMB.
- Find messaging and resources to engage elected officials and community partners.
Take Action Before July 13
NAWDP encourages all workforce development professionals to review the toolkit and assess how these proposed regulations would affect your organization, staff, partners, employers, and the job seekers you serve.
Consider the ways these changes could increase administrative burden, restrict investments in staff professional development, and reduce your organization’s flexibility to serve individuals facing barriers to employment.
Then, take action by:
- Submitting comments through the Federal Register by July 13, urging OMB to reconsider the proposed changes.
- Sharing the potential local impact with your congressional delegation, governor, local elected officials, and other community leaders.
- Encouraging your partners and stakeholders to submit comments and advocate for practical, effective federal grant policies.
The voices of workforce professionals are essential to ensuring that federal regulations strengthen—not hinder—the nation’s workforce development system.
NAWDP will continue working alongside our national partners to advocate for policies that enable workforce professionals to effectively serve job seekers, employers, and communities across the country.
If you have questions or would like to share how these proposed changes could affect your organization, please contact the NAWB Government Relations and Advocacy team at nawb@nawb.org.
