Hello everyone! Thanks for the invite and happy to be here!

Big shout out to Terry Hyden from US Automotive for flagging this story for me that dropped back in October—and prompting me to dig into what's happened since. Here's the situation with federal apprenticeship funding and what it means for the tech shortage: The good news: Both the House AND Senate Appropriations Committees have now passed bills that preserve $285 million in apprenticeship grants for FY 2026. The House version specifically includes language pushing the Department of Labor to support incumbent automotive repair technicians with advanced training—meaning helping the techs you already have level up on ADAS, EVs, and emerging vehicle technology. This matters because the Trump Administration actually tried to eliminate standalone apprenticeship funding entirely and roll it into a block grant program called "Make America Skilled Again" (MASA). Both chambers rejected that approach and kept the dedicated funding. The reality check: None of this is law yet. After a record 43-day government shutdown—the longest in U.S. history—Congress passed a continuing resolution that funds Labor, HHS, and Education at FY 2025 levels through January 30, 2026. Translation: The apprenticeship dollars are still flowing, but the new FY 2026 language and any potential expansion aren't in effect yet. We're in a holding pattern. What to watch: January 30, 2026 is the next deadline. Congress either passes a full appropriations bill (making that $285M and the auto-tech language official), kicks the can with another CR, or we get another shutdown. Here's a link to the original article from ASA that started this conversation: [Recent Federal Government Actions Could Help Alleviate Skilled Auto Repair Technician Shortage] Here's my question for the group: Knowing that Congress is defending this funding but nothing is final yet—should independent shops be doing anything NOW to position themselves for when these dollars actually hit?