February 26, 2026

Leading the News this Week

This week, the House Appropriations Committee released guidance for Fiscal Year 2027 funding requests. The deadline of Friday, March 20th, means that community college advocates wishing to participate in this process must do so with haste. Read on to the next section for additional information.

News in Higher Education

Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Season Officially Begins

Please join us on Friday, March 6, 1-2 PM ET for Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Live, where we will do a deep dive on advocating for community college funding this year in Congress's annual Appropriations process. Register here.

House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (OK-04) kicked off FY 27 appropriations season yesterday by releasing guidance for submitting both community project funding requests, formally known as earmarks, and programmatic and language requests. 

Community project funding is an opportunity for Members of Congress to direct federal funds to fund projects in their districts. The requests Members of Congress submit to the appropriations committee are informed by their constituents. Normally, Congressional offices take submissions from constituents for community project funding requests via an online platform found on their website. View ACCT's past webinar and slides on earmarks on ACCT Connect here.

Programmatic and language requests allow Members of Congress to ask the appropriations committee for specific funding levels for agencies and federal programs. This is also an opportunity for Members to request specific language to be included in appropriatons bill(s) and accompanying report language.    

Here are highlights of this appropriations season:

• Members of Congress can submit up to 20 requests. Please visit your member of Congress's website to learn how to submit your requests prior to that particular office's submission deadline.
• Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee Chair Robert Aderholt (AL-04)  released guidance for the LHHS bill. For this account, Members of Congress have until March 20th to submit their community project funding requests.
• For this cycle, the Departments of Education and Labor are not eligible accounts for community project funding requests.

U.S. Department of Education (ED) Announces New Accreditation Rule

In moving forward with accreditation reform, ED announced a new interpretative rule that would make it easier for new accreditation agencies to apply for recognition. In a statement, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said, “This interpretive rule will help the Department bring new accreditors into the market. Increased competition will spur innovation and refocus accreditors on what matters most: ensuring students are prepared for good jobs after graduation.”

This interpretive rule first clarifies that accreditors must conduct two years of accrediting activities before they can be recognized by the Department, and second, shortens the process of review by committing to determining whether an accrediting agency meets the basic eligibility requirements within 60 calendar days from submission.

This is in addition to ED's recent move to bar accrediting agencies as well as institutions of higher education from using the term "regional accreditor." Consequently, the seven regional accreditors would not be allowed to describe themselves as such in public-facing materials; state education agencies would need to revise policies, regulations, and guidance that reference "regional" accreditatoin especially when related to credit transfer agreements and articulation policies; and colleges and universities will have to describe their accreditation status as "institutionally accredited" instead of referencing their regional accreditor.

Here is a summary of the Trump administration's actions in the accreditation space since the start of his second presidential term.

• Resumed recognizing new accreditors
• Lifted the moratorium on switching accreditors
• Requested stakeholder input on the Accreditation Handbook
• Allocated the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) to support accreditation reform
• Announced the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) Negotiated Rulemaking Committee
• Proposed an Interpretive Rule on the “regional” label

Join ACCT's LAW Live Friday, March 6, 1-2 PM ET 

The ACCT Government Relations Team's Federal Update Webinar, Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Live, will return Friday, March 6, 1-2pm ET.

Right now, members of Congress are asking their constituents which programs and projects to fund in the annual spending process for fiscal year 2027 (FY27). This is a critical time for the community college community to make our voices heard and advocate for critical programs supporting student success and workforce development. 

At the March First Friday Federal Update Webinar, we will go inside the federal funding process in Congress and share the critical steps to take to advocate for community college funding. Click here to register. 

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for new grants community colleges are eligible for.

Strengthening Community College Training Grants

In this 6th round, the objective of  the Strengthening Community College Training Grant (SCCTG) competitionis to fund community colleges aiming to build "program and system capacity for implementing and scaling access to short-term training opportunities through Workforce Pell Grants—i.e., promoting industry-driven strategies, worker mobility, and integration with the larger state workforce system (e.g., Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) partners) for statewide impact."  

The closing date for this grant opportunity is May 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET.

• March 2 Public comment period closes for proposed rule from Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) committee.
• March 6, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• March 20, 6:00 PM LHHS Programmatic and Language and Community Project Funding Request Deadline
• March 30, 11:59 PM ET Public comment period closes for the proposed revision on certifications that recipients of federal funding must submit.
• April 3, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• April 14 FAFSA Form 2027-28 comment period closes
• May 1, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• May 20, 11:59 PM ET. Strengthening Community College Training Grant Closes
• June 5, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• July 10, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• August 7, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• September 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live
• October 2, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• October 21-24 ACCT Leadership Congress
• November 6, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live 
• December 4, 1-2 PM ET LAW Live

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges.

If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

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