October 6, 2026
Written by Tara Thomas, AESA Senior Government Affairs Manager
On September 24, the White House sent Congress a rescission package that would cut $810 million of federal funding that was appropriated by Congress for Fiscal Year 2026 but has not yet spent. This action does not impact any of the education funding programs that we track: IDEA, Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV-A or the Rural Education Achievement Program.
The education funding cuts in this package include $24.9 million from Special Programs for Migrant Students and $69.6 million from the International Education and Foreign Language, Domestic Programs.
Rescission packages require a 45-day Congressional review period under the Impoundment Control Act. This package was sent at a time when the funds will lapse prior to the end of the review period, making it a maneuver known as a pocket rescission. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has determined that pocket rescissions are illegal and the move has already generated some bipartisan pushback from Congress so the future of the package—and the funding it proposes to cut—is still unknown.