ADVOCACY & POLICY UPDATE - August 11, 2025

Senate Committee Advances FY26 Education Budget Bill

Washington Update

August Recess

The House and Senate are both in August recess with both chambers reconvening on September 2, 2025.

Appropriations

Before adjourning for August recess, in a 26-3 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a $79 billion FY26 spending bill for the U.S. Department of Education as part of the Labor-HHS-Education package. Floor consideration of the package is expected in September, though a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government beyond the September 30 deadline is highly likely. 

The bill rejects many of the Trump Administration's proposed cuts, including  elimination of the Department of Education, and maintains level funding for the maximum Pell Grant, TRIO, GEAR UP, Federal Work Study, and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) programs.

The bipartisan measure includes funding for programs such as after-school services and English language learning, some of which had previously been withheld by the White House. Nearly $7 billion in withheld funds was recently released following pressure from lawmakers, governors, and others. The bill also contains provisions requiring that certain formula grants under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and other laws be awarded as soon as funds are available, aiming to ensure timely distribution and avoid disruptions for grantees who rely on predictable funding schedules. 

The House Appropriations Committee has not yet released its version of the Labor-HHS bill and is expected to consider it after the August recess. The possibility that Congress may need to pass a continuing resolution (CR) to avoid a government shutdown before the September 30 deadline remains. 

Statistical Agency Integrity and Independence Act

On Tuesday, August 5, Congressman George Whitesides (CA) introduced the Statistical Agency Integrity and Independence Act, which seeks to safeguard the impartiality of federal statistical agencies. The bill follows President Donald Trump’s termination of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Dr. Erika McEntarfer on Friday, August 1, after the release of the July jobs report showed a decline in job growth. The measure would limit presidential authority to remove the heads of designated statistical agencies to cases of proven inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance, and prohibit removal based on the content or timing of statistical reports. The protections would apply to the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Center for Education Statistics, and Bureau of Justice Statistics.

In related news, House Education and Workforce Standing Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA) and Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA) sent a letter to Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (MI) requesting the Committee hold an oversight hearing regarding the firing of Commissioner McEntarfer.

Click here to access the full press release on the bill.

Click here to read the full letter from Congressmen Scott and DeSaulnier.