After more than a year of uncertainty over how a Republican-controlled Congress under President Donald Trump would change federal education funding, lawmakers on Tuesday approved a fiscal 2026 budget that maintains level funding for virtually every existing K-12 program.
The House voted 217-214 on Feb. 3 to approve a package of five spending bills the Senate had already voted to support, including for the U.S. departments of Education and Health and Human Services.
The latest House vote came after Democratic senators refused last week to support a previously agreed-upon version of the budget package that included a sixth bill for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Democrats instead demanded a two-week extension of the existing Homeland Security budget to allow for negotiations with the Trump administration on tighter restrictions for immigration enforcement agents following two high-profile fatal shootings of U.S. citizens by federal agents. Lawmakers missed the deadline to approve the revised spending package for the other agencies, causing the Education Department and others to shut down for four days.
Ultimately, Congress comprehensively rejected the Trump administration’s proposals to slash billions of dollars from federal education investments. Schools nationwide can expect roughly similar year-over-year funding levels this fall for key programs like Title I for students from low-income households, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for special education services, Title II for professional development, and Title III for English learners.
The final legislation, which Trump was expected to quickly sign, doesn’t require his administration to halt efforts to shift Education Department programs to other agencies, and it doesn’t explicitly prohibit the administration from taking further steps to diminish the Cabinet-level agency.
It does, however, include requirements for the department to consult more closely with Congress on the status of its efforts to shift responsibilities to other agencies. It also includes nearly $400 million for Education Department staff compensation, only slightly less than for the previous fiscal year despite recent staff reductions that have nearly cut the agency’s ranks in half.
The legislation also supplies funding for several smaller agencies the Trump administration had already moved unilaterally to defund, including AmeriCorps and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
Most education funding is forward-funded, which means allocations for the current fiscal year will hit schools in the upcoming school year. Typically, formula funds for schools start flowing to states in July. Grant program competitions can happen throughout the year.
For each of the federal education programs listed below, we’ve included the funding level Congress just approved, the funding level for the previous fiscal year, and the funding level Trump proposed in his second administration’s first budget proposal last May.
