Compliance Stuff

For the second straight fiscal year, the White House has proposed to defund and eliminate the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). Quick Hits On April 3, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget published the White House’s priorities for fiscal year (FY) 2027 through the president’s proposed federal budget and related fact sheets. President Trump’s proposed FY 2027 federal budget would defund OFCCP, as he proposed for the FY 2026 budget, and move the agency’s “more limited statutory functions” as to individuals with disabilities and protected veterans to an expanded Office of Civil Rights. Even if the president’s proposals for OFCCP in FY 2027 are achieved, current legal obligations of federal contractors and subcontractors under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and VEVRAA remain unaffected. On April 3, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published President Donald Trump’s proposed  fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget  for the federal government, ...

Navigating the requirements set forth by the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) is essential for ensuring adherence to anti-discrimination and affirmative action regulations and not risking fines and reputational damage. If you’ve been doing this long enough, you know that  OFCCP compliance  rarely feels urgent until someone asks for proof. Proof that jobs were posted correctly. That outreach was documented. That hiring decisions were tracked consistently and can be explained. This guide is built for HR leaders who understand the basics but want a clear-eyed picture of where things stand heading into 2026 and what the teams that sail through audits are actually doing differently. Here’s the short version of what’s changed and what still matters most: Executive Order 11246 was revoked in January 2025 , shifting the active compliance focus to Section 503 and VEVRAA. Coverage thresholds were inflation-adjusted effective October 1, 2025, so it is worth re-check...

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) launched a new  open data portal  to enhance agency alignment and public access to workforce information collected and maintained by DOL agencies. The portal includes over 40 categories of data from agencies such as OSHA, MSHA and the Wage and Hour Division. Federal contractors should be aware the portal includes company-specific data from  VETS-4212 Reports  previously filed with the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service (VETS). Under the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), covered federal contractors and subcontractors are required to annually report, via VETS-4212 Reports, information about the total number of employees and new hires by location, along with information about how many employees and new hires self-identified as protected veterans by location. In a Feb. 18, 2026, announcement, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration & Management (OASAM) explained the portal was develo...

On February 3, 2026, President Trump signed a  spending bill  that includes funding for the Department of Labor. The bill allocates  just under $101 million  for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) for fiscal year 2026 (FY 2026), marking a significant shift from the White House’s  initial budget proposal  to eliminate the agency. The budget approval is approximately $11 million less than the prior year, which is a 10% reduction, leaving a majority of OFCCP’s funding intact. However, based on  recent data , OFCCP’s workforce is about 25% smaller than a year ago. OFCCP is  actively investigating complaints  alleging violations of Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act, and it is clear the agency will survive another fiscal year. However, uncertainty remains about what additional responsibilities the agency may be tasked with in order to utilize the approved budget a...

Quick Hits OFCCP issued an Information Collection Request on January 2, 2026, seeking to revise questions on its complaint and pre-complaint inquiry forms to align with Executive Order 14173. OFCCP issued a renewed Information Collection Request on January 7, 2026, seeking to extend existing recordkeeping requirements under VEVRAA. On January 20, 2026, an appropriation bill was introduced that proposed to fund OFCCP at $100,976,000 for fiscal year 2026 . This appropriation bill passed the House of Representatives on January 22, 2026, and now moves to the Senate for final approval. The future and focus of OFCCP has been the subject of discussion and speculation by the federal contractor community since  Executive Order (E.O.) 14173  was signed in January 2025. In the lead-up to last year’s government shutdown, the House Appropriations Committee proposed to eliminate OFCCP and move oversight obligations to other federal agencies, while the Senate Appropriations Committee propos...