May 07 President Releases “Skinny Budget” with Cuts to Education, HHS
(May 7, 2025)
The Trump Administration has released its FY2026 “skinny budget” proposal to Congress which includes significant cuts to non-defense discretionary programs – including education programs – by $163 billion or 22.6%, and increases defense funding by more than $113 billion. The budget proposal is called a “skinny budget” because it does not include specific programmatic details, a more comprehensive budget proposal is expected in a few weeks. It is important to note that the President’s budget proposal is simply that, a proposal that outlines the administration’s priorities. In the past, Congress has dismissed the president’s proposals as they develop their own budget proposals during the annual budget and appropriations process. Time will tell if this Congress will adopt none, some, or all of the president’s proposed allocations.
Related to education grant programs, the president’s budget proposal includes significant reductions and consolidation of many grant programs. Specifically, the budget proposal includes consolidating 18 education grant programs (competitive and formula funded grants) into one program and funding this at $2 billion, which is $4 billion less than their combined total from FY2025. It is unclear what specific programs are included in this figure. It is unknown if Perkins Career and Technical Education is part of this consolidation. The proposal keeps Title I funding at current levels. In regards to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the budget proposal does not make any cuts, but combines all the IDEA individual programs into one single program. The budget proposal does include an increase to charter schools to support the administration’s school choice initiatives.
Within the Health and Human Services Agency and the Department of Labor, the budget proposal includes eliminating Community Services Block Grant, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LiHEAP), Preschool Development Block Grants, and Job Corps. The budget also proposes $3.6 billion cuts to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs and $18 billion cuts to the National Institute for Health. The budget did not specifically list Head Start, which has been rumored to be on the chopping block.
As mentioned earlier, time will tell on how Congress plans to address the president’s budget proposal. Allies for Children will continue working with partners on the local, state, and federal levels to advocate to preserve and increase funding that benefits children, schools, and families.
Additional Resources:
White House: Trump Administration’s “Skinny” Budget Proposal
AASA: The Superintendent’s Association
Association for Career and Technical Education
Center for Budget and Policy Priorities
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget
National Council of Non-Profits
Jamie Baxter, Allies for Children Executive Director