PSE officers and members visited Capitol Hill and the Washington Congressional delegation in late April. PSE members met with Members of Congress and staff to stress the importance of these issues and how federal education funding supports student programs and local jobs across Washington.
In addition, PSE’s message of no Medicaid cuts in conversations with Washington congressional members was definitely timely, as the House did back off some Medicaid cuts.
PSE Priority Issues:
· Protect U.S. Department of Education from cuts and elimination
· Preserve uninterrupted delivery of special education/IDEA funding
· Protect Title 1 FUNDS
· Federal Education funding for private schools undermines public education: No to vouchers and choice
· Secure Rural Schools extension for 3 years
Since PSE lobbied Washington Congressional members, the House has now passed a Budget Reconciliation bill with defense, border security and energy spending and $4.5 trillion in tax cuts for upper income brackets. Spending provisions are offset by trillions of dollars in mandatory spending cuts affecting Education, Pell Grants, student loans, and Medicaid combined with the $4.5 trillion extension of the 2017 tax cuts primarily for the wealthy and corporations.
The House Education and Workforce Committee marked up Reconciliation provisions identifying over $370 billion in program budget cuts primarily from higher education student loan programs.
The House Agriculture Committee wrote Reconciliation provisions including a 3-year extension of the Secure Rural Schools program which is now in the Reconciliation bill.
The House Ways and Means Committee extended the 2017 tax cuts for the upper income groups.
The Energy and Commerce Committee charged with finding $880 billion in cuts primarily from Medicaid reduced that amount marginally after a small group of moderate Republicans told the Speaker they would not support deep Medicaid cuts.
Report on Education Funding Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 and 2026:
FY 2025 funding: Although the Continuing Resolution listed funding totals for Education there still is no public plan for specific funding levels for many Education programs. Reports are that Title I, IDEA, Career Education would be funded at the FY 2024 level.
FY 2026 Funding: The President’s preliminary “skinny” budget for FY 2026 is requesting a $12 billion (15%) cut for Education with additional cuts to education related programs in other agencies.
House FY 2026: Appropriations Chairman Cole wants all bills out of Committee by the end of July. The Labor, HHS and Education bill are among the last to get done.
The Chairman wants some bills approved by the House before August. Senate Committees are likely to provide more for non-defense and defense than President’s budget is requesting.
According to federal education lobbyists, it will be a complicated year for Education funding. Schedules slip and Appropriation bills are very likely to carry over into the Fall.
Federal Workers Dismissals - Good News. A federal judge issued a temporary restraining order halting the president’s executive order laying off federal workers. The judge’s ruling said the president’s order dismissing workers “must enlist the help of Congress to make large scale overhauls of federal agencies.”
This ruling should also slow the Administration’s effort to eliminate the Department of Education, which was established by an Act of Congress.
Bad news: The House Oversight Committee to help pay for Reconciliation bill tax cuts, approved a plan to make big adjustments in federal workers’ retirement benefits. The plan would cut $50 billion in savings out of federal workers pension benefits.