By Louisa Woodhouse, Senior Associate, Policy and Advocacy
Reading time: Two minutes
On September 1, the House Appropriations Committee released its Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, which was reported favorably out of the Subcommittee markup on Tuesday on a party-line vote. The
bill makes significant cuts to federal education spending overall, yet
maintains level funding for several
of the National College Attainment Network's (NCAN) key policy priorities, including the Pell Grant maximum, TRIO, and GEAR UP.
“We were pleased to see that the House Appropriations Committee maintained the maximum Pell Grant for FY26,” said NCAN CEO Kim Cook. “The decision to preserve Pell Grant funding demonstrates that Congress recognizes the importance of this foundational
need-based aid program as a proven ladder to postsecondary attainment.”
The House bill is a clear departure from the Trump Administration’s FY26 budget request, released earlier this spring, which proposed
a cut to the maximum Pell Grant, and the elimination of funds for AmeriCorps and many federal student aid programs, including TRIO, GEAR UP, Federal Work Study, the Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG).
In contrast to the Senate version, which maintained level funding, the House bill eliminates SEOG and reduces
spending on Work Study by $451 million. The bill also proposes a $620 million cut to the Corporation for National and Community Service, including $279 million from AmeriCorps Grants, specifically. The loss of these funds would be felt most heavily
by students with the highest financial need, who would lose both financial support for postsecondary education, and potentially, access to AmeriCorps-funded college advisors and support services.
The House bill also proposes changing the Workforce Pell program title to "Trump Grants," and renaming AmeriCorps the "America First Corps."
Though not yet confirmed, a full Committee markup is expected next week. The House and Senate will have to reconcile differences in the LHHS bills before one version can be passed and signed into law. If a FY26 appropriations package is not enacted by
September 30, 2025, we may be headed for a shutdown or a continuing resolution (CR) to maintain funding levels until Congress can agree on a path forward.
Questions? Reach out to Louisa Woodhouse, NCAN Senior Associate, Policy and Advocacy, at woodhouse@ncan.org.
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