POLITICO Pro: House Republicans propose 15 percent cut to Education Department
House Republicans have proposed deep cuts to the Education Department’s budget for fiscal 2026 ahead of Tuesday’s subcommittee markup of the bill to fund the agency.
Republican appropriators are proposing $67 billion in discretionary funding for the Education Department in fiscal 2026 — a $12 billion slash from the fiscal 2025 enacted level. The 15 percent cut proposed by House Republicans is similar to President Donald Trump’s budget pitch, which requested $66.7 billion for the department.
The House spending bill would bolster the Trump administration’s education agenda, including renaming Workforce Pell Grants, which were established in the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, to “Trump Grants.” The budget law expanded Pell short-term workforce training programs and Republicans argue this name change in the spending bill would “reflect the President’s commitment to growing the American workforce and expanding opportunities for American workers.”
K-12: The bill includes a $5.2 billion slash to Title I funding that supports schools serving students from low-income families, according to House Republican appropriators. The legislation also proposes a $60 million boost for charter schools and a $26 million increase to support students with disabilities.
The legislation would eliminate funding to support students learning English and Title II-A grants that support teacher professional development, documentation from House Democrats show. The bill maintains funding for after-school programs at current levels.
Higher education: House Republicans have proposed maintaining the maximum Pell Grant award, which helps low- and middle-income students pay for college, at $7,395 — rejecting the president’s budget pitch to cut the grant. Trump's budget proposal requests $5,710 for the 2026-27 award year, a $1,685 decrease from the 2025-26 award year.
The House Labor-H bill would maintain level funding for TRIO programs, which help disadvantaged students prepare for higher education — dismissing the president’s proposal to zero out the program. Career and technical education funding would see a $25 million increase, but would eliminate adult education funding, according to Democrats.
The bill proposes $91 million for the Education Department’s civil rights arm in line with Trump's budget request, which would represent a $49 million decrease.
What’s next? The House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing the bill to fund the Education Department is set to mark up the legislation Tuesday at 5 p.m. Consideration of the bill comes as lawmakers head toward a government shutdown Oct. 1 if Congress doesn’t fund the government, with lawmakers likely to advance a stopgap funding measure.