On July 27, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee held a full-committee markup to consider several bills, including the fiscal year 2024 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education (LHHS-ED) funding bill. Bypassing a subcommittee markup, the full committee approved the bipartisan spending bill that would provide $79.6 billion in discretionary funding to the U.S. Department of Education in FY24. This topline number is roughly the same as what was appropriated to the Department of Education in FY23. Sen. Deb Fischer, a Republican from Nebraska, and Sen. Bill Hagerty, a Republican from Tennessee, were the sole votes against the bill as it easily advanced out of committee.
Unlike the House LHHS-ED bill, the Senate funds education programs at similar levels as last year, with modest increases for programs like Title I (+$175 million), Impact Aid (+$10 million), IDEA (+$175 million), Title IV-A (+$20 million), CTE State Grants (+$40 million), and Title III (+$7 million). Title II-A and federal funding for charter schools received level funding. Given the stark differences between the Senate and House bills, there will be much to reconcile, especially among programs that were cut by the House LHHS-ED subcommittee altogether. Negotiations between the two committees will have to hold for at least the next month as Congress has entered August recess.
Given the stark differences between the Senate and House bills, there will be much to reconcile, especially among programs that were cut by the House LHHS-ED subcommittee altogether. Click To TweetDuring her opening statement on the LHHS-ED bill, Subcommittee Chair Tammy Baldwin, a Democrat from Wisconsin, stated that while she wished they could have invested more, the bill is a bipartisan compromise to avoid defaulting on our nation’s debt, which is a stark contrast to the House’s LHHS-ED bill. Further, she stated that the House’s approach to this appropriations cycle threatens a government shutdown and sequestration to defense and non-defense programs. Subcommittee Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito, a Republican from West Virginia, highlighted specific increases for Title I and IDEA but did not mention the House’s bill.
Below is a breakdown of K-12 funding levels:
