President Releases FFY 2027 Budget - DEC Supports Maintaining All Parts of IDEA at the Department of Education
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DEC Supports Maintaining All Parts of IDEA at the Department of Education
DEC Members and Partners, We will begin by saying that we are very concerned about the funding of early childhood programs across the landscape as outlined in the President’s FFY 2027 Budget Request. This information is shared with a call for action that is not just for today but ongoing as it will take all of us to ensure that critical early childhood programs are accessible to families. While we appreciate and support the $50 million increase for Part C of IDEA, DEC is very concerned about the changes proposed for IDEA programs. We are very concerned about level funding and proposed elimination of programs outlined in this update. These are so important to supporting the health and well-being of all families. There is a call to action at the end of this message for today. Please use the toolkit and connect with your Congressional representatives.
After today, please stay informed through the DEC Newsletter and DEC Coffee Chats – Policy Edition or any other trusted source and together we will continue our advocacy until such a time that infants, toddlers, young children and their families receive the supports and services needed to assure equitable outcomes leading to a life they envision for themselves and their families. |
The President has released his Budget Request for FFY 2027. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees will now each develop their own versions of the twelve funding bills that make up the federal budget. FFY 2027 begins October 1, 2026, and goes through September 30, 2027. The President’s proposed budget is a starting point for discussion but is not put to a vote in either the House or the Senate. Final FFY 2027 funding levels must be agreed to and passed by the full House and Senate and signed into law by the President by this September 30th the last day of the current fiscal year. Without such an agreement, a continuing resolution (CR) must be signed into law to allow Congress more time to reach agreement. Without a CR, the government will shut down as it did last year. Throughout this process, DEC will continue to advocate with its members and partners for necessary funding for federal programs important to young children and their families. This will include using our voices to keep IDEA programs at the U.S. Department of Education and to oppose any consolidation of programs under IDEA as proposed by the President again this year. |
Budget Request for IDEA Once again this year, the President proposes to consolidate six IDEA programs into the Grants to States Special Education program under Part B Section 611. The Administration’s request would consolidate all five of the Part D IDEA National Activities programs and the Section 619 Preschool Grants program into the Grants to States program. This action would combine all currently funded formula and competitive grant programs authorized under IDEA, except for the Part C program, into a single State formula grant. The six IDEA programs that would be consolidated under the Part B Section 611 State Grant program are:
The Budget Request would provide $15.4 billion for the IDEA Part B Grants to States program, an increase over the funding of $14.2 billion in FFY 2026. The Budget Request states this is an “historic $538.6 million increase over the fiscal year 2026 level of IDEA Grants to States and the consolidated programs reflect the Administration’s goal to return education to the states by streamlining funding and expanding flexibility for States.”
Under the proposed consolidation, all funding for the Grants to States program would continue to be allocated to States and LEAs in accordance with the statute. States would receive additional flexibility to reserve funds for State-level activities, including those currently supported under the Part D National Activities programs.
The Request also provides $590 million for IDEA Grants for Infants and Families program, a $50 million increase over the fiscal year 2026 level. The Budget Request indicates this increase will help States implement the new flexibility enacted in fiscal year 2026 to better support American families expecting to have a child with a disability and provide services to the child faster after he or she is born. This provision provides States with the flexibility to use funds under Part C of the IDEA to conduct child find, public awareness, and referral activities for individuals expecting to become parents of a child with a disability. According to the Budget Request document, any State electing to use funds under this flexibility shall ensure that, as soon as possible, but not later than 45 days after the child’s birth, it completes the referral and eligibility process under Part C for that child. Some additional detail included in the President’s Budget is provided below. Budget Request for Education The President’s Budget Request for FFY 2027 includes $75.7 billion for the Department of Education. This is a 4.1 percent cut from the FFY 2026 appropriation.
The recommended Budget would maintain funding for Title I at $18.4 billion and would provide $500 million for the Charter Schools program. However, this Budget Request proposes a new program that would consolidate 17 existing programs under the Department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education. These programs would be consolidated into a new $2 billion “Make Education Great Again (MEGA), a state formula grants program focused on literacy and numeracy.
In addition, twelve other programs, totally $2.1 billion, would be eliminated including Comprehensive Centers, Migrant Education Programs, English Language Acquisition, Hawaiian Education, Child Care Access Means Parents in School, Regional Education Laboratories, and Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems.
Of additional note, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon recently announced that the Department of Education will move out of the Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters building to save funds and for “eliminating wasted space in a building that is roughly 70% vacant.” The Department will relocate to 500 D Street SW. The move is expected to occur in August of 2026. According to the Request, the Research in Special Education Program would be cut from $45.3 million in FFY 2026 to $10 million in FFY 2027.
It is important to note that under the Budget Request, the staff in OSERS would be cut from the 163 FTEs existing in FFY 2025 to only 31 FTEs in FFY 2027. Budget Request for HHS The Budget requests $111.1 billion in discretionary budget authority for HHS for 2027, a $15.8 billion or 12.5-percent decrease from the 2026 enacted level. Level funding was requested for the Child Care and Development Block Grant at $8.83 billion, and for Head Start at $12.36 billion.
The Budget Request includes plans for reorganizations in the department. Of note, is the creation of the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) that will combine existing programs under several offices in the department. Programs of specific interest related to young children and their families that will be eliminated to create the AHA include Healthy Start, Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI), Ryan White Part F and Ryan White Special Projects of National Significance, Youth Violence Prevention, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Drowning, Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, Mental Health Children and Family Programs and Project LAUNCH. The Budget Request recommends other programs be eliminated including: o Child Care Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) program o Preschool Development Grants Birth through Five o Low-Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) program o SAMHSA’s Programs of Regional and National Significance (PRNS) o University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDDs) o Developmental Disabilities Projects of National Significance o Community Services Block Grant DEC will provide additional updates as this process unfolds. Thank you in advance for your advocacy efforts. Summary and Action Alert: Please complete and share the Action Alert below from CEC: Action Alert: Tell Congress to Once Again Support All Parts of IDEA
Last year, facing proposed cuts, CEC members activated to urge Congress to fund all parts of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), and our message was heard. Now we face the same headwinds, and your voices are as critical as ever. Join your colleagues and call on Congress to fund all of IDEA, including the IDEA Preschool Program and IDEA National Activities, which the Administration aims to eliminate.
Please take a moment to send a short message to Congress, and please share this action alert widely. To make it easy for you, we've created a toolkit with some sample language for you. |
DEC Executive Board DEC Executive Office Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children |
