Senate Approves Budget to Keep Federal Mediation Service Afloat

The Senate Appropriations Committee indicated it wants to keep the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service around, approving a FY 2026 budget that maintains its funding after the Trump administration asked Congress to gut the agency.

The panel voted 26-3 Thursday to approve a package to fund the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education through September 2026, sending it to the full Senate for consideration. The package includes over $53 million in funding for FMCS, on par with the previous years’ funding for thesmall but impactful agency that mediates labor disputes betweenemployers and unions.

The administration had asked ...