House Committee Advances Bill that Supports All Parts of IDEA, Cuts Education Overall by 15 Percent
On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee debated and advanced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) spending bill, which funds federal education programs.
Details of the bill came into focus with the release of a Committee report on Monday. Under the House bill, all parts of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) would be funded, despite a President’s Budget Proposal this spring that sought to eliminate the IDEA Preschool Program and IDEA Part D, which funds competitive grants that support personnel preparation and professional development, technical assistance, technology, parents, and more. Since then, CEC Members have written more than 8,000 letters to Congress urging the funding of all parts of IDEA.
While IDEA funding is maintained, the bill includes a $12 billion, or 15 percent reduction in funding for federal education spending overall, with the largest reduction to K-12 education to Title I, which would get a $5.2 billion (27 percent) cut. If enacted, the proposed cuts to K-12 programs will strain local education budgets, impacting all students, including children with disabilities.
The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its Labor-H spending bill this summer, largely maintaining funding for federal education programs. The House and Senate must now work together to formulate a single bill that can pass both bodies of Congress. A path to a final bill remains unclear.