The Trump administration just dropped its fiscal year 2026 education budget proposal, and it’s a massive shake-up for American schools. While the administration claims it’ll “make education better, fairer, and more accountable,” many folks are worried that these proposed cuts could hurt vital services, especially for our most vulnerable students.
Unveiled on Friday, this budget blueprint slashes total education spending to $66.7 billion, a steep 15.3% drop from the current $78.7 billion. This sharp decline signals one of the biggest pullbacks in federal education investment we’ve seen in ages, pointing to a broader strategy to shrink the federal government’s role in public education and hand more power to states and local communities.
“Our goal is clear: to make education better, fairer, and more accountable by ending Federal overreach and empowering families, schools, and States who best know the needs of their students,” reads the Department of Education’s budget document.
What’s Being Protected and What’s Not
Good news for two major programs: Title I, Part A, which throws a lifeline to schools in low-income communities, will stay put at $18.4 billion. Likewise, Part B state grants under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) are getting a $677.5 million boost, bringing their budget to $14.9 billion. These allocations are meant to reassure families and advocacy groups that crucial safeguards are still in place.
But while those headlines might sound encouraging, digging a little deeper into the budget reveals some serious cuts elsewhere. Eighteen smaller programs (things like teacher training, mental health supports, school safety initiatives, and aid for homeless students) have been lumped into a single “Flexible Support Grant.” The catch? Their combined funding is getting chopped from $6.5 billion all the way down to just $2 billion.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who’s just settled into her role and is already drawing plenty of fire, is set to face a Senate Appropriations subcommittee today. She’ll be there to defend the budget and explain how consolidating these funds won’t cripple the programs they’re replacing.
“This budget claims to empower local leaders, but honestly, it just yanks away the vital tools schools rely on,” said Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, in a press statement. “Cutting billions from teacher training, school counselors, and homeless student support doesn’t create equity; it creates chaos.”
The End of the Department?
The FY26 plan also pretty much confirms Trump’s long-standing aim to scrap the U.S. Department of Education entirely. Rolling funding streams into one big pot is part of a larger administrative play to shrink the agency’s footprint and eventually get rid of it altogether, echoing Trump’s 2018 proposal and promises from his campaign.
A 2024 Heritage Foundation report, “Blueprint for Education Reform: Empowering Parents, Ending Federal Control,” laid the groundwork for this move. It champions shifting all education decision-making to the states and giving parents school vouchers, education savings accounts, and charter school options instead of traditional public schooling. Trump’s budget seems to be following that blueprint step by step.
But critics are concerned that such a move would just widen the gap between wealthy and low-income districts, especially those already struggling for funding.
“State and local control sounds great until you realize how uneven state education funding is across the country,” pointed out Derek Black, an education law professor at the University of South Carolina. “The federal government is there to even things out.”
Political Showdown Brewing
With a presidential election around the corner, this budget is setting the stage for a real political fight. While some conservatives are cheering the budget as a return to local governance and parental control, others (including moderate Republicans in swing districts) are nervous about how these cuts will play with educators and suburban voters.
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who chairs the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, didn’t hold back. “At a time when students are dealing with learning loss, mental health crises, and chronic absenteeism, this administration is pulling the rug out from under them,” she said in a statement.
What Comes Next
While this budget proposal is just that (a proposal), it’s a clear signal of where the Trump administration plans to take education policy if they get another term. Congressional Democrats are likely to push back against the most severe cuts, but even the threat of rolling back decades of federal protections for students has sent shockwaves across the education world.
