Senate Subcommittee Maintains Student Aid Funding Levels Against President’s Budget

WASHINGTON, D.C. – By a vote of 26-3, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies advanced a Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 spending bill that maintains funding for essential financial aid and student support programs. This proposal does not include the numerous damaging student aid cuts proposed by the White House in its FY26 budget request.

The bill would:

• Provide $79 billion in discretionary funding to the Department of Education, in contrast to the White House’s request of $66.7 billion
• Maintain the maximum Pell Grant award at $7,395 for the 2026-2027 award year, in contrast to the White House’s proposal to slash the award by more than $1,000
• Sustain funding for the Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program, in contrast to the White House’s proposal to eliminate all program funding
• Sustain funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program, in contrast to the White House’s proposal to eliminate all program funding
• Sustain funding for the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) program, in contrast to the White House’s proposal to eliminate all program funding
• Sustain funding for TRIO and GEAR UP, in contrast to the White House’s proposal to eliminate funding for both programs
• Sustain funding for the Federal Work Study program, in contrast to the White House’s proposal to cut the program by $980 million

The following statement is attributable to Jessica Thompson, Senior Vice President at The Insitute for College Access & Success (TICAS):

“Today, Senate appropriators continue to support college students by advancing legislation that would maintain funding for essential financial aid and student support programs, including the Pell Grant program, TRIO, the Federal Work Study program, and the Postsecondary Student Success Grant program.

“In contrast to the deep cuts and program eliminations proposed to Congress by the White House, this bill reflects an important bipartisan commitment to existing federal support for long-standing, effective higher education programs.

“The bill would maintain much-needed administrative funding for the Education Department and would require the Department to retain adequate staffing levels to successfully implement the complex education provisions of the recently passed budget reconciliation package.

“The bill also rejects the White House’s proposal to gut funding for the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), recognizing the central role IES plays in collecting and publishing data to track student progress and program outcomes.

“While we hope to see additional funds for financial aid and student support programs—especially for the maximum Pell Grant, which continues to cover the lowest share of college costs in the program’s history—we appreciate the Senate’s commitment to at least maintaining funding for key programs.

“As the appropriations process continues to play out, we urge the House to follow suit and protect federal investments in these critical resources for the nation’s students.”