Appropriation for wages

(a) Appropriation There is authorized to be appropriated, and there is appropriated, out of any funds in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, $2,700,000,000 for fiscal year 2026 and each subsequent fiscal year, to carry out subsection (b). (b) Use of funds Using funds made available under subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and Human Services shall assist Head Start agencies (including Early Head Start agencies) funded under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.), to the extent needed to ensure that their teachers and staff— (1) receive wages that are comparable to wages for elementary educators with similar credentials and experience in the State; or (2) at a minimum, receive a living wage. (c) Application In carrying out subsection (b), the Secretary shall apply the Head Start Act, except to the extent that subsection (b) is inconsistent with that Act.