As reported by K-12 Dive, on September 9, 2025 the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, after a day-long debate, advanced a bill that would reduce federal Title I funding for low-income schools by 26% and cut the overall U.S. Department of Education (USDE) budget by 15% to $67 billion for fiscal year 2026 (FY26). The bill was approved by a vote of 8-4 along party lines with all Republicans voting to approve and all Democrats opposing the bill.
The budget plan aligns closely with President Donald Trump’s proposal, but veers sharply from the bipartisan plan agreed to by the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee in July. The Senate plan recommends funding the USDE in FY 26 at $79 billion, or an increase of about $300 million from the current spending level.
The House and Senate will now need to separately debate their bills and, once approved, work to reconcile the two proposals before the start of FY26 on October 1, 2025.
For more details from K-12 Dive, click here.