House Passes Education Spending Bill, Senate is Final Hurdle

This week, House and Senate appropriators released a negotiated spending package for the four remaining Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor‑H); Defense; Homeland Security; and Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development. These bills reflect extensive bicameral negotiations and represent a compromise capable of securing the votes needed for enactment. The Labor‑H bill largely maintains education program funding at current levels, despite steep reductions and consolidations proposed by the Administration and House Appropriators.  

All Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs are funded, including Part D and the preschool program. Also funded are the Javits Gifted and Talented program, which faced a proposed elimination by the Administration and House Appropriators, and the National Center for Special Education Research. The agreement includes language expressing congressional concern about Interagency Agreements that shift key K–12 and higher education programs to other agencies and reaffirms that education funds are intended to be administered by the U.S. Department of Education and may be transferred only with explicit congressional approval.  

All Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) programs are funded, including Part D and the preschool program. Also funded are the Javits Gifted and Talented program, which faced a proposed elimination by the Administration and House Appropriators, and the National Center for Special Education Research. The agreement includes language expressing congressional concern about Interagency Agreements that shift key K–12 and higher education programs to other agencies and reaffirms that education funds are intended to be administered by the U.S. Department of Education and may be transferred only with explicit congressional approval. 

Funding all parts of IDEA and preserving ED to support children with disabilities were key CEC advocacy priorities for FY 2026, with CEC members advocating on those topics with unprecedented dedication and energy. The House passed the spending package on Thursday by a vote of 341–88. Senate consideration is expected next week, ahead of the January 30 deadline.