Committee on Appropriations
United States House of Representatives
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Representative:
On behalf of our 3 million members and the 50 million students they serve, we urge you to oppose the cuts in education funding included in the FY2026 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Votes on this issue may be included in NEA’s report card for the 119th Congress.
The appropriations bill slashes Department of Education funding by 15 percent—on top of the $350 million in cuts to student loan programs made by the reconciliation bill. In particular, we oppose provisions that make deep cuts in Title I funding for low-income schools and districts, end Title II professional development grants, decimate the Office of Civil Rights, and eliminate English-language acquisition programs.
Balanced budgets are required by law in all but one state, Vermont. Many states are already struggling to make ends meet due to diminished federal support for Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Further cuts in education funding would leave them facing a Hobbesian choice with no good alternatives: slashing student services—including some mandated by federal law—or limiting access to health care and food assistance even more.
In contrast, the bipartisan bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee provides level or near-level funding for most programs, with small potential increases in key areas—Title I formula grants, Title II professional development grants, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Senate bill also continues to fund the Institute for Education Sciences that collects essential data and administers the nation’s report card, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
Finally, we urge you to oppose any rescission of education funding appropriated by Congress. The recent rescission of $9.4 billion in FY2025 funding—the first rescission in 30 years—set a dangerous precedent that undermines Congress’ power of the purse and the bipartisan support our students need and deserve.
The public schools that educate 9 out of 10 students are the foundation of our democracy. We urge you not to cripple them with additional funding cuts.
Sincerely,
Kimberly Johnson Trinca
Director of Government Relations
National Education Association
