Congress·In Committee·H.R. 9896

WINGS Act of 2026

Aviation Training: Financial Aid Expansion

Next up: A house committee

A house committee must act next: committee consideration.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Could go either way

The bill has support from both parties and helps a struggling industry, but many bills never make it out of committee.

This bill changes how colleges calculate the cost of aviation degrees. It adds expensive requirements like flight training hours, aircraft rentals, and simulator time to the official list of school expenses.
Students in these programs would be able to use federal student loans and grants to pay for pilot licenses and technical certifications. Currently, many of these high costs are not fully covered by standard financial aid.
The goal is to help more people become pilots or aviation mechanics by making the training more affordable. This addresses a major shortage of workers in the airline industry.
If passed, the new rules would start on July 1, 2027. It would apply to students working toward two-year or four-year degrees in aviation-related fields.

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 23, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Jul 23, 2026

Introduced in House

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes, news coverage, or related bills recorded for this bill yet.

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

WINGS Act of 2026

Bill NumberHR 9896

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

(8)

D: 5R: 3

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