House Appropriations Committee Advances FY 2026 Spending Bill
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday advanced its fiscal year (FY) 2026 funding bill for the Department of Education (ED) and other government agencies, which seeks to make significant cuts to the Federal Work-Study (FWS) program, eliminate the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and flat-fund the federal Pell Grant program.
The committee met on Tuesday for a lengthy markup of the funding bill, which was introduced earlier in September. During opening remarks, Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), chair of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, noted that this legislation maintains support for the Pell Grant program.
“As soon as the Trump administration took office, they immediately set out to save taxpayer dollars by rooting out waste and abuse and by reforming outdated and inefficient ways of running the federal government,” Aderholt said during the markup. “We have endeavored to build on the President's efforts to rein in out-of-control spending in this bill.”
However, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), ranking member of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, raised concerns over the legislation, noting that it seeks to cut ED funding by $12 billion, and cut key federal student aid programs.
“We have the fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill before us, which continues a Republican assault on education, health care, and workers,” DeLauro said during the markup. “Once again, this bill decimates support for public schools, students and K-12 school teachers. It abandons college students and lower income workers trying to gain an education or advance their career for their chance at the American dream.”
The House Appropriations Committee considered many amendments on Tuesday, some of which would directly impact federal student aid programs. For example, Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) introduced an amendment that would strike down the House’s initial provision that would rename Workforce Pell Grants to “Trump Grants.” The committee rejected this amendment.
Ultimately, the committee did approve some ED-related amendments. One amendment adopted by the committee, introduced by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), specified that no funds provided in the bill may be used to freeze, delay, or cancel funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP). The amendment also states that Congress expects ED to distribute funds in a “timely manner” and “without interruption.”
The committee convened for more than ten hours and debated over 40 amendments. That lengthy debate concerned funding levels for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and related agencies, which are also part of the annual spending bill.
Ultimately, the bill advanced out of committee by a vote of 35-28.
Congress has until September 30 to pass legislation that would fund the federal government, or risk a government shutdown. Last month, the Senate Appropriations Committee advanced its version of the bill out of committee, which flat-funds several student aid programs, including the Pell Grant.
With limited floor time in both chambers, Congress will likely need to develop a continuing resolution, a temporary funding measure, to avert a government shutdown and continue negotiations over a final appropriations bill for FY 26.
Stay tuned to Today’s News for more updates on the appropriations process.
Publication Date: 9/11/2025
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