The Trump administration’s federal 2026 budget is live, but you do not need to run and review it. This is, like every year, the administration’s proposal to Congress and, as the adage goes, “the President proposes and Congress disposes.” 

That’s not to say that you should not pay attention. The documents lay out a vision for the federal support for public education that will shape policy and funding for years, but it’s only a proposal, and much of it has been discussed and debated on the campaign trail and in executive orders. For example, a guide to cutting “woke” (undefined) programs accompanies the resources, including:

  • Preschool development grants: “The Budget eliminates this $315 million grant program that was a tool of the last administration to push diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies into early care and education, such as giving money to the Minnesota Department of Education to implement ‘intersectionality’ and ‘racial equity’ for four-year-olds.”
  • Department of Justice (DOJ) grant programs: “Instead of stopping crime and keeping Americans safe, DOJ grant programs have been funding DEI and cultural Marxism. Taxpayer dollars have gone to things such as: $2 million for ‘feminist, culturally specific nonprofit organization’ in Puerto Rico to address ‘structural racism and toxic masculinities.’”

You get the idea. No “woke.”

As for the marquee programs like ESEA Title I and IDEA, the proposal asks Congress to “streamline” and “preserve.”

  • The proposed K-12 Simplified Funding Program “preserves” Title I and consolidates 18 competitive and formula grant programs into a new $2 billion formula grant designed to reduce ED’s influence on schools and students and reduce bureaucracy.
  • The proposed Special Education Simplified Funding Program consolidates seven IDEA programs to provide more flexibility to support students with special education needs at the 2025 level (which is the 2024 level, if you recall the Continuing Resolution). And with fewer programs comes the need for less staff at ED. 

Again, all consistent with campaign messaging and the desire to reduce federal staff.  

It helps to put these new documents into context. There are two key budget stories to track along with some procedural items. We’ve made a chart to help follow along.

  • The first thread is the Budget Reconciliation to the FY2025 Continuing Resolution (CR). The CR authorized FY2025 spending at FY2024 levels (and “mistakenly” cut the budget of the District of Columbia by $1 billion, more on that below). The BR makes adjustments to tax and mandatory spending for the 2025 fiscal year that is driving debates about Medicaid cuts. Lawmakers set the goal of cutting $880 billion out of mandatory spending, a target that is only achievable if it includes cuts to Medicaid.
  • The second story is the kick off to the FY2026 budget process. The FY2026 proposals are just starting their own process and will dominate the budget headlines for a few days—but remember that they are only proposals. Congress has to approve appropriations. What I find interesting is the absence of the word “block grant” (other than for current block grant programs). Rather, it’s about “simplifying” and “preserving” programs. The move avoids the legal authority question and gives lawmakers lots of rhetorical space to maneuver. 

Now about that DC “error.” I live in DC, so I’m still waiting on the “fix” to the federal fiscal year 2025 continuing resolution that extended federal 2024 funding levels into the fiscal year 2025 bill. 

These are funds for education that will go to schools starting in July for the 2025-2026 school years. The “fix” is to the District of Columbia’s budget. In reverting all agencies to 2024 funding, Congress also took about $1 billion of locally raised revenue from the city’s 2025-26 budget. These funds were in the books and are cooked into summer services and school budgets. 

There is an expectation that Congress will address the “error” and not kneecap city services. The Senate has passed a fix, and we are now waiting on the House, which is not in a hurry to act. It’s a flex that should be resolved soon; otherwise, schools and childcare services in the city will feel the brunt.