The Senate Defended Education Funding for FY26 – Now the House Must Do the Same

By Rianna Saslow, Deputy Director of Policy, National Parents Union 

As members of Congress return to Washington this week, the House of Representatives stands at a defining crossroads: back the Senate appropriations bill and safeguard the Congressional power of the purse, or fold to Trump’s demands and gut America’s public schools. 

In a rare instance of hope and unity, the Senate passed eight bipartisan appropriations bills out of subcommittee before adjourning for August recess. Among them was the Labor-H (Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies) bill, which largely sustained level funding for education. Although the bill includes a few targeted cuts, nearly all education programs are protected, with some even seeing slight funding increases.

The Senate’s bipartisan Labor-H bill also reaffirms the Department of Education’s responsibility to oversee core programs (including IDEA and Title I), distribute funding that Congress allocates in a timely manner, and retain sufficient staff to carry out all required duties. This is a direct response to Trump’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education, illegally withhold funding, and layoff thousands of employees – many of which have been contested in court, with mixed outcomes. 

The Republican-led Senate bill does not make the cuts that the President asked for. 

President Trump’s budget request would slash overall education funding by $12 billion – nearly 15% compared to current funding levels. It seeks to completely eliminate funding for migrant students, English language learners, and educator development. It would gut the Institute for Education Sciences, which serves as a national research arm to monitor student outcomes and identify better ways of educating our children. The President’s budget also attempts to consolidate 18 existing grants into one “Simplified Funding Program,” masking an enormous $4.5 billion (or 70%) cut. This consolidation is a direct attack on several critical programs, including rural education, literacy grants, summer learning, academic enrichment, and funding for homeless and at-risk youth. Lastly, the President’s budget would make college far less affordable by reducing the maximum amount for Pell grants; eliminating the TRIO, GEAR UP, and SEOG programs; and slashing federal work study by 80%. 

On Monday, the House Labor-H subcommittee released their own appropriations bill, echoing President Trump’s plan to slash education funding by $12 billion. While the proposal maintains the maximum Pell grant amount and preserves a handful of programs the President sought to eliminate, it remains an alarming threat to families and schools. The bill zeroes out funding for English Language Acquisition, educator preparation, and several college affordability grants. Most egregiously, it would cut Title I by 26% – a reckless attack on public education that neither the President nor the Senate proposed. 

These dramatic cuts would place immense pressure on states, which would be forced to choose between backfilling federal education cuts or protecting other essential services like healthcare. And these budget cuts don’t exist in a vacuum; as a direct consequence of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, states are already scrambling to cover billions in new Medicaid and SNAP costs. 

These budget cuts have real impacts on real families. When President Trump illegally withheld nearly $7 billion in education funding last month, he sent schools scrambling to keep summer programs open. Families across the country had no idea whether they would have childcare from one day to the next, while students still recovering from COVID learning loss lost access to summer programs designed to help them catch up before the new school year. Make no mistake: these programs are on Trump’s chopping block for FY26, too. 

Meanwhile, districts are navigating their own budget processes and have had to hold off on hiring staff, training educators, and creating vital programs for their most vulnerable students. Many wealthier districts have been able to cope with the chaos, but rural and low-income schools are dependent on these funds; constant threats of impoundments and budget cuts leave them hesitant to hire teachers and support staff, while wealthier schools that are less reliant on federal funding snatch up all of the best applicants. Already dire achievement gaps will widen as programs are cut, class sizes are expanded, and long-term substitutes fill in during uncertain times. Ranking Member DeLauro estimates that the House’s proposed Title I cuts will eliminate 72,000 teachers in the neediest schools. In the worst cases–where enrollment is already down and vital funding streams are slashed–schools will consolidate or close, leaving families in rural areas to drive over an hour just to get to school each morning. 

The Senate has stood up to these cuts, and they have stood with hard-working American families. The devil is in the details, and backing the bipartisan Senate Labor-H bill means supporting families and investing in our children’s future. But this is an even more pivotal moment – one in which Congress must summon the courage to uphold the Constitution and assert its constitutional power of the purse. The Senate has done its part. Now, our democracy hinges on the House.

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ABOUT THE NATIONAL PARENTS UNION
With more than 1,800 affiliated parent organizations in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, the National Parents Union is the united, independent voice of modern American families. We channel the power of parents into powerful policies that improve the lives of children, families and communities across the United States. https://nationalparentsunion.org/