Joint Statement on Congressional Vote to Reject Education Funding Cuts
Leaders from over 30 organizations issued a joint statement this week after Congress voted to pass a bipartisan spending package that maintains funding for critical federal education programs. The bipartisan legislation is a clear rebuke of the Trump administration’s FY2026 education budget, which proposed over $12 billion in funding cuts for the Department of Education, eliminating countless essential programs for students and educators.
“This week, Congress listened to our students and families, our schools, and our communities by coming together to reject the Trump administration’s proposed gutting of the federal education budget. In addition, the bipartisan legislation clearly stands up against the Administration’s attempts to illegally dismantle the U.S. Department of Education by both maintaining a legal prohibition from prior appropriations bills and inserting new language asserting that the Department has no authority to transfer its core functions to other agencies.
As teachers, families, students, and advocates have made clear, education deserves to be a national priority, not an afterthought. By maintaining education funding, this bill keeps vital investments in teaching and learning; makes clear the federal role in protecting students’ civil rights; and affirms a shared responsibility to building schools that are equitable, innovative, and prepared for the future.
We thank the members of Congress who continue to support our nation’s students and schools, and urge them to remain a critical check on the Executive Branch to prevent devastating cuts and further erosion of the Education Department. This bill is a step forward, not the finish line, and our organizations will continue to hold our leaders accountable for using these resources to deliver on the promise of a safe, high-quality public education for every student.”
SIGNED BY:
Evelyn Aissa
Executive Director, Partnership for the Future of Learning
Daniel Anello
CEO, Kids First Chicago
Carol Bauer
President, Virginia Education Association
Jennifer Coco
Interim CEO, The Center for Learner Equity
Christina Collins, PhD
Executive Director, Honesty for Ohio Education
Cherita Ellens
President & CEO, Women Employed
Yolie Flores
President & CEO, Families in Schools
Denise Forte
President & CEO, EdTrust
Lisa Guernsey
Senior Director, Birth–12th Grade Policy, New America
Cheryl Holcomb-McCoy, PhD
President & CEO, American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE)
Khem Irby
President, Parents Across America
Anna Jordan-Douglass, PhD
Founder, Makefully
Jim Kohlmoos
Principal, EDGE Partners
Beth Lewis
Executive Director, Save Our Schools Arizona Network
Amy Loyd, EdLD
CEO, All4Ed
Guillermo Mayer
President & CEO, Public Advocates
Ann McColl
Interim President and Executive Director, Public School Forum of North Carolina
Monica McGill, EdD
President & CEO, Institute for Advancing Computing Education
Joann Mickens
Executive Director, Parents for Public Schools
Ayaan Moledina
Federal Policy Director, Students Engaged in Advancing Texas
Erin Mote
CEO, InnovateEDU
Katy Neas
CEO, The Arc of the United States
Christina Pretorius
Education Justice Campaign Director, Engage New Hampshire
Jacqueline Rodriguez, Ph.D.
CEO, National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD)
Keri Rodriguez
President, National Parents Union
Brent Rowland
Interim Executive Director, Oklahoma Appleseed Center for Law and Justice, Inc.
Aaliyah A. Samuel, PhD
President & CEO, Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
Sarah Sandelius
Founder & CEO, The Ability Challenge
Andrew Smiles
Founder & Executive Director, Zephyr Impact
Evan Stone
Co-Founder & CEO, Educators for Excellence
Jennifer Tani
President & CEO, Healthy Schools Campaign
Alisha Thomas Searcy
CEO, Center for Strong Public Schools