As reported last week, the House and Senate appropriators reached an agreement on the final text and accompanying Joint Explanatory Statements (Statement) for the remaining spending bills for Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 which includes the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-H) bill that funds all education programs as authorized under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and other education statutes. The Labor-H bill largely funds education, health, and early childhood programs at similar levels to FYs 2024 and 2025, to the relief of COPAA advocates and partners who were advised to brace for steep cuts to ESEA programs in particular, reflective of the Administration and House priorities. The moderate nature of the spending levels -which includes a $20 M bump to IDEA Part B- and near repudiation of the White House domestic spending recommendations reflects the need to secure bipartisan support to overcome a filibuster in the Senate. Included in the Labor-H bill is longstanding language prohibiting funding to be transferred [outside of the authorized agency] except where the transfer is authorized by an appropriations bill; and in the Education portion of the Statement there is negotiated text that expresses Congress’s concerns with Interagency Agreements that transfer key K-12 and higher education programs to agencies outside the U.S. Department of Education (ED). The Statement affirms that education funding is intended for ED and can only be transferred with the explicit permission of Congress. It goes further to request regular updates from ED about the administration of education programs. The House approved the spending package on Thursday by a 341-88 vote. Upon its House passage in conjunction with 3 additional spending bills, it was expected to sail through the Senate this week to avoid a government shutdown. However, events in Minnesota this past weekend have put the bill’s future on hold. At this writing, it is unclear what path the Senate will take as the January 30th funding deadline looms. Stride Policy has provided a comparative budget chart of education, disability, childcare, and other priorities.