Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Panel debates amendment to require immediate awarding of K‑12 formula grants after administration held $7 billion
Loading...
Summary
A House appropriations subcommittee debated and rejected an amendment from Representative Levin that would have required the Department of Education to award statutory K‑12 formula grants on the date funds become available after the administration withheld roughly $7 billion in advance of the school year.
Representative Levin offered an amendment to require the secretary of education to award formula grant funding under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the McKinney‑Vento Homeless Assistance Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act on the date such funds become available for obligation. "A no vote on this amendment means you're willing to leave schools in your district to the whims of this or any future administration," Levin said.
Levin and other supporters said the amendment responded to an earlier decision by the administration to hold back nearly $7,000,000,000 in formula funding one day before funds were to become available. Levin said the delay forced school districts to consider layoffs and scale back programs; he said his state faced nearly $800,000,000 in withheld K‑12 funding and $146,000,000 for after‑school and summer learning, and that nine districts in his own congressional district had been waiting for over $5,000,000.
Opponents argued the amendment would limit the administration's ability to ensure efficient and lawful use of funds. Representative Aderholt said the change "would undermine the ability of the administration to ensure effective and economical use of appropriate resources" and raised concerns about oversight and preventing waste, fraud, and abuse. Representative Hoyer argued for Congress's power of the purse and urged support for Levin's language.
The committee proceeded to a recorded vote after debate. The amendment failed on the roll call; the clerk reported 28 ayes and 34 noes and the amendment was not adopted.
Why it matters: These formula grants flow to virtually every local school district and underwrite programs such as after‑school learning, special education, and career and technical education. Delay or withholding of formula awards can force districts to revise budgets on short notice, affecting staffing and services.
Details and next steps: Levin said the amendment's language closely tracks bipartisan Senate language in the fiscal 2026 LHHS bill. Supporters urged colleagues to include statutory timing language to prevent future administrative delays; opponents urged caution to preserve executive‑branch discretion for implementation and oversight.
