U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee Members Propose Cuts to Title I, U.S. Department of Education

How Music Education Advocates Can Make a Difference Now

Updated September 2, 2025

The U.S. House Labor-HHS-Education bill includes deep cuts to education title programs which would negatively impact music and arts education. The House appropriations subcommittee is expected to mark up the bill September 2, at 5:00PM ET.

Overall, the bill would cut funding for the U.S. Department of Education by more than $12 billion (11%) below the FY 2024 funding level. The bill also cuts funding for Title I by $5.2 billion (27%). The bill would block funding related to critical race theory and prevent policies or programs intended to promote diversity, equity, or inclusion. However, the House bill would not incorporate the president’s proposals to create a massive K–12 block grant or alter Title I and IDEA.

Details on all of the education programs will be available after the full committee markup. Meanwhile, please refer to the Republican press release and summary and the Democratic press release, summary, and fact sheet.

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U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee Rejects Trump Administration’s Cuts to Education

On July 31, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2026 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education Appropriations bill by a vote of 26-3.

Following a tumultuous month where the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) had been withholding FY 2025 funds that schools anticipated receiving on July 1 for the upcoming school year, the bill is a reassuring sign that the Senate continues to support a federal role in public education.

Overall, the bill:

• provides $79 billion for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) in FY 2026
• rejects the Trump administration’s call to eliminate the Department
• and includes new requirements that the ED maintain the staff necessary to ensure it carries out its statutory responsibilities, including carrying out programs and activities funded in the bill in a timely manner.

The bill also includes new requirements for the ED to make formula grants available to states and districts on time.

This bill includes a $50 million increase for both Title I and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) over their FY 2025 funding levels. The bill also includes new guardrails to prevent the administration from moving these formula grant programs to other federal agencies and “disrupting the efficient and effective use of federal funds intended to improve outcomes for students.”

This legislation also maintains current funding of $793 million for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) for all programs and activities of IES funded in FY 2024. According to the committee’s press release, “The Trump administration’s significant workforce reductions and program delays at IES this year have caused it to fail to meet statutory requirements. The bill requires the Department to support staffing levels necessary for IES and the National Center for Education Statistics to fulfill their statutory responsibilities.”

The House and Senate Appropriations Committee had previously approved the FY 2026 Interior-Environment bills, which includes funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, on July 22 and July 24 respectively.

Here is the updated status of key programs impacting music and arts education:

Program Title	FY 2025 Funding	FY 2026 Trump Budget Proposal	FY 2026 Senate  Committee Bill	FY 2026 House Committee Bill
Title I	$18.41 B	$18.41 B	$18.5 B	$14.6 B
IDEA	$14.213 B	$14.213 B	$14.263 B	$14.289 B
Title IV-A	$1.38 B	$0	$1.38 B	$1.385 B
21st Century Community Learning Centers	$1.33 B	$0	$1.33 B	$1.33 B
Title II	$2.19 B	$0	$2.19 B	$0
Assistance for Arts Education	$36.5 M	$0	$31.5 M	Unknown
Teacher Quality Partnership Grants	$70 M	$0	$65 M
Augustus F. Hawkins Centers for Excellence	$15 M	$0	$15 M
National Endowment for the Arts	$207 M	$0	$207 M	$135 M

🚨Members of Congress are back from the August recess, and this is a critical time to communicate how important these federal funds are for arts education! Please take a moment to visit our Grassroots Action Center and send a pre-drafted message to your Representative and Senators. Please personalize your message with your own story of how music and arts education makes an impact in your district. Please continue to share this campaign with fellow music and arts education advocates to make sure every member of Congress hears from their constituents!