Quick links+
WASHINGTON, June 11, 2026 — The House Appropriations Committee has approved a Republican funding bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education on a party-line vote. The legislation would strip more than $3 billion from the Department of Labor, eliminate several labor-focused offices including those that protect American workers from unfair international trade competition, make deep reductions to worker safety enforcement and Job Corps.
Worse, the bill reduces funding for the already underfunded National Labor Relations Board by nearly $100 million. Members of the current administration, including NLRB General Counsel Crystal Carey and NLRB Chair James Murphy, recently decried the lack of funding to the agency in a House Education and Workforce subcommittee hearing. They testified that proposed budgetary amounts were “far below what we’ll need” and would require a “disastrous cut in agency operations” for the long-understaffed agency.
Brian Bryant, International President of the 600,000-member IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), issued the following statement:
“House Republicans are advancing a budget that asks working people to pay the price so the billionaire class can keep cashing in. After receiving the largest tax break in American history, wealthy corporations and billionaires are once again demanding more at the expense of working families.”
“These proposals would gut worker safety enforcement, slash Job Corps programs that help young people escape poverty and homelessness, and strip resources from the National Labor Relations Board. That’s not fiscal responsibility. That’s balancing the books on the backs of working people.
“Job Corps helps young Americans build careers and escape poverty. OSHA inspectors save lives. The NLRB helps level a playing field that is already tilted toward corporate power and against working families. Taking a sledgehammer to these programs doesn’t strengthen America — it weakens opportunities for workers while protecting the interests of those who need help the least.
“Elections have consequences. Working people are watching who stands with them and who stands with billionaires. We will remember these choices when we head to the ballot box this November.
“The IAM Union will continue fighting for investments in workers, strong labor protections, safe workplaces and pathways to the middle class. Working people built this country. They shouldn’t be asked to sacrifice so billionaires can get another handout.”
The IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers) represents approximately 600,000 active and retired members in aerospace, defense, airlines, shipbuilding, rail, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries across North America.
