The Ready to Work Act of 2026 establishes a federal jobs program administered through local workforce boards to place long-term unemployed workers—those age 18 or older who have been jobless or not full-time students for at least 27 weeks—into temporary positions designed to lead to permanent employment. Participating employers must pay workers the highest applicable wage rate, provide equal benefits, and cannot displace existing workers or have more than 10% of their workforce in program positions, with strong worker protections including grievance procedures with decisions required within 60 days and binding arbitration available for disputes. Local boards must submit detailed 4-year plans describing how they will serve eligible workers through job placements, career services, and training partnerships, with performance measured by job placement rates and worker income gains, and underperforming boards subject to replacement. The program includes competitive grants for boards serving high-poverty areas and chronically low-employment regions, with employers required to contribute 33% of wage costs (reduced in high-unemployment areas). The bill provides open-ended mandatory funding for fiscal year 2026 and beyond to implement these provisions nationwide.