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

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 Appropriations Committee has postponed consideration of its FY 2026 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education bill until after Labor Day.

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 current status of key programs impacting music and arts education:

Program Title	FY 2025	President’s Budget	Senate Bill	House Bill
Title I	$18.41 B	$18.41 B	$18.5 B
IDEA	$14.2 B	$14.9 B	$15.2 B
Title IV-A	$1.38 B	$0	$1.38 B
21st Century Community Learning Centers	$1.33 B	$0	$1.33 B
Title II	$2.19 B	$0	$2.19 B
Assistance for Arts Education	$36.5 M	$0	$31.5 M
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 will be back in their states and districts for the August recess, and this is a great 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.