Congress Strikes Deal on Top-line Spending for Fiscal Year 2022

This week, leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees came to an agreement on top-line spending levels for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, a critical first step in finalizing spending. Beyond announcing the deal, very few details have been released, including the allocation for the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Services Subcommittee, which determines the funding levels for education programs. Over the next few weeks, staff will be drafting and finalizing negotiated appropriations bills.

To provide them additional time to complete their jobs before current federal funding levels expire next Friday, this week the House passed an extension of that funding through March 11. The Senate is expected to do the same next week.

This year, the completion of annual spending bills is of particular importance, as House and Senate Democratic appropriators, following the lead of President Biden, have put forward spending proposals aimed to begin to rectify chronic underfunding of education programs at the federal level.

Overall, a 40 percent increase to programs within the U.S. Department of Education has been proposed, and that includes approximately three billion dollars for programs within the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). An increase of that level could, for the first time, put IDEA on the path to full funding, one of CEC’s top priorities.