A bipartisan compromise on FY26 federal spending has preserved major K–12 education programs targeted from elimination by the Trump Administration and includes language expressing Congress’s concern with the Administration’s controversial efforts to restructure the U.S. Department of Education.
Throughout the process, the AFSA legislative team worked tirelessly on Capitol Hill, advocating for school leaders, students, and fair funding for schools. Their efforts helped ensure that the voices of administrators were heard in these critical budget negotiations.
Despite administration proposals to zero out several long-standing education programs, the final agreement retains Title II-A (professional development), Title III (English language acquisition), and Title IV-A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment block grants) at level funding. Nearly all K–12 programs are funded at last year’s levels, while Title I and IDEA each receive modest $20 million increases.
The outcome reflects the Senate’s insistence on bipartisan cooperation and effectively rebuffs House and administration efforts to impose deep education cuts.
The bill also addresses a major concern for states and districts: the Department of Education’s ability to withhold or delay funds. Last year, the Department postponed the release of roughly $7 billion in K–12 funding, disrupting school budgets nationwide.
Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-Wash.) said the legislation includes new safeguards to ensure that formula grants reach states and districts on time.
“The bill includes new measures to ensure the Department of Education makes formula grants available to states and districts on time,” Murray said, “preventing funding from being withheld and creating chaos for students, teachers, and families.”
AFSA advocated strongly for these safeguards, providing case examples of how delayed funding impacts administrators and students alike, and urging Congress to include language preventing future disruptions.
The minibus also takes aim at the administration’s plan to shift core education responsibilities to other federal agencies through Interagency Agreements. Those agreements would move administrative authority over many K–12 and higher education programs to the Departments of Labor, Interior, and State.
The Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the bill raises serious legal and practical concerns about the agreements. The report states that no legal authority exists for the Department of Education to transfer its fundamental responsibilities to other agencies, warning that doing so would fragment federal education policy and weaken oversight.
It also highlights that agencies without education expertise or established relationships with states and districts could struggle to administer these programs effectively, causing inefficiencies, higher costs, funding delays, and weaker enforcement of federal education rights.
AFSA’s legislative team flagged these risks early, helping lawmakers understand the potential negative impact of fragmenting responsibilities and emphasizing that administrators need clarity and support to implement programs successfully.
The House passed the FY26 Labor-HHS-Education minibus on January 22 by a wide margin, 341–88, signaling broad bipartisan support. The package is now in the Senate. Once enacted, Congress will have completed all FY26 appropriations work. Attention will then turn to FY27, with the President expected to release his next budget proposal in late winter or early spring.
AFSA will continue monitoring the process, advocating for policies and funding that strengthen schools and protect administrators’ ability to lead effectively.
