Skinny Budget, Big Cuts: Trump Administration Publishes Budget Request for FY26

By Louisa Woodhouse, Senior Associate, Policy and Advocacy

 Reading time: Two minutes

On Friday, May 2, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released the Trump Administration’s budget request for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26). The “skinny budget,” named as such due to its lack of detailed program-level information, proposes deep cuts to discretionary spending, including to key higher education programs.

If you’ve been following along with the recent activity in the federal government, you may be confused by the fact Congress is currently working through the budget reconciliation process based on the FY25 budget resolution. To clarify, the reconciliation process will ultimately determine the funding levels for mandatory spending, starting in FY25 and continuing for the next ten fiscal years. The FY26 budget request proposed by the Trump Administration last week would impact the funding for discretionary programs, primarily, but not affect the mandatory funding levels set in the reconciliation bill. 

The budget request calls for the total elimination of TRIO, GEAR UP, the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and AmeriCorps funding, and proposes a significant cut to Federal Work Study (FWS) and to program administration at the US Department of Education (ED). Notably, the skinny budget does not address to the discretionary funding for the Pell Grant, though Congress has already proposed significant cuts to the program through reconciliation, by way of restricting eligibility.

It is important to note that the President’s budget request is, more than anything, a statement on the Administration’s priorities. Congress controls the “power of the purse” through the appropriations process, and it will ultimately be up to the House and Senate to determine the discretionary spending levels for FY26. The budget request has been met with criticism on both sides of the aisle, including from Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). 

The full budget request from the Administration is expected in late May or June. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) will continue to keep members posted as the FY26 appropriations process progresses. 

Questions? Contact Louisa Woodhouse, Senior Associate, Policy and Advocacy, at woodhouse@ncan.org, or Catherine Brown, Senior Director, Policy and Advocacy, at brownc@ncan.org.

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