House Spending Panel Begins Process for Funding Education Programs in FY 2027
On Friday morning, the House Appropriations Subcommittee considered and advanced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) appropriations bill on party lines with only Republican support. While the full details of the proposal will not be released until next week, based on what has been made public, the bill includes $40.2 billion for K-12 education, a $4.6 billion decrease from the current level. Title I would receive $16.5 billion, a nearly $2 billion cut, and the Institute for Education Sciences, which funds federal education research, would be reduced from $790 million to $493 million. Title II, which funds teacher preparation and professional development, would be eliminated, as would Adult Education. Special education would receive $15.5 billion, a $49 million increase.
While increased funding could be positive, it is unclear whether all programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will be funded. The FY 2027 budget proposal from the Administration would increase special education funding while simultaneously eliminating IDEA preschool, professional preparation, technical assistance, parent support, and more. Congress rejected that proposal last year, in large part due to advocacy from CEC and other organizations that stressed the importance of the full continuum of IDEA programs. The House bill is the opening proposal from House Republicans, led by Subcommittee Chair Robert Aderholt (R-AL).
This bill will now advance to the full Appropriations Committee next week, where programmatic details will be released, and the proposal will be debated and amended. The Senate will also need to draft and advance its own legislation.
To view the markup and available bill details, go here.
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