Senate Supports All Parts of IDEA, Education Research, and More in Funding Bill
On Thursday, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) funding bill, which includes federal education programs administered through the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The Senate Labor-H bill largely preserves current education funding levels, which have been flat since FY 2024, despite a request from the White House to reduce funding for education by more than 15 percent.
The bill affirms the value of the components of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) by explicitly funding each program, requesting the ED distribute the funds in a timely manner, and affirming the critical oversight role of the Office of Special Education Programs within ED. The bill language does not reflect the proposed elimination of the IDEA Preschool Program and IDEA National Activities (personnel preparation, technical assistance centers, parent centers, and more). Despite the cancellation of research grants and the termination of the majority of the staff at the Institutes for Education Research (IESS), the Senate Labor-H bill maintains IES funding. Likewise, it preserves federal educator preparation programs. Of the bill, which passed with strong bipartisan approval (26-3), Labor-H Subcommittee Chair Shelley Moore-Capito (R-WV) remarked, “The Labor-HHS bill again prioritizes our children, starting with early childhood all the way through postsecondary education, to make sure our students are prepared for jobs today and in the future.”
The House Appropriations Committee has not yet released its proposal for Labor-H for FY 2026, another key step in the process of finalizing funding for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins on October 1.