An October 13, 2026 letter from two key Senate Appropriations Committee members says the U.S. Department of Education(USDE) is making it easier to cancel funding in future years. Those Democratic legislators, who are part of the Senate Appropriations Committee, accused the USDE of “frontloading” grants by making multiyear funding available in one lump sum ahead of time rather than funding a larger number of grants over time, as is typically the case
This approach has led to the withholding of approximately $630 million in appropriated resources across approximately 35 grant programs, according to the letter that was sent to U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, which states that, “In implementing this policy, the Department is intentionally and sharply limiting the number of new grants it will award, by concentrating funds into fewer grants and withholding significant portions of appropriated resources for use in future budget periods.” It also said the USDE frontloaded grants in the Innovative Approaches to Literacy program. Though the agency announced it would make up to 35 awards using the $30 million in funds earmarked in the fiscal year 2026 appropriations law, it issued only four new awards and set aside $13 million for future years for those grants
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