Congress has kicked off negotiations over the federal budget, and lawmakers are poised to clash over whether and how much to cut education investments for the 2027-28 school year.
The House appropriations subcommittee focused on education and labor issues on Friday morning on a party line vote of 11-7. The bill cuts $1.6 billion from annual Title I grants for low-income students, eliminates billions of dollars in formula and competitive grants for schools and colleges, and slashes investment in education research.
During the markup, Republican lawmakers praised the bill as a prudent effort to balance investment in important programs with necessary austerity. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., characterized the plan as 鈥渁 step on the path to eliminating public education.鈥�
Before the subcommittee voted, Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., proposed amendments that would restore current-year funding levels for two competitive grant programs: Full-Service Community Schools ($150 million) and Preschool Development Grants ($315 million). The current version of the bill from House Republicans鈥攁s well as President Donald Trump鈥檚 budget proposal鈥攅liminates funding for both.
Hoyer didn鈥檛 ask for a vote on either amendment, instead lamenting that subcommittee amendments during budget bill markups in recent years have become exclusively partisan.
The bill now goes to the full House appropriations committee for a markup on June 9. A committee report with more details on specific line items will arrive early next week.
In the meantime, take a look at our graphic comparing this week鈥檚 education funding proposals to the current funding levels, and to the Trump administration鈥檚 wish list.
