The Basic Education Coalition (BEC) is grateful to Congressional leaders for passing the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, concluding the Fiscal Year 2024 budget process and ensuring continued funding for the US Government through the remainder of Fiscal Year 2024.
The Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) funding bill invests $58.3 billion in US foreign assistance, $3.4 billion below Fiscal Year 2023. The bill includes $922 million for international basic education, $48 million below Fiscal Year 2023, but $281.4 million above the Biden Administration’s request. It includes $121.6 million for the Global Partnership for Education and $30.4 million for Education Cannot Wait.
“While we were disappointed to see the $48 million decrease for international basic education in FY24, we appreciate the efforts of House and Senate Appropriations leadership to ensure sustained basic education funding, despite four consecutive years of short-sighted cuts proposed by the Biden Administration,” said Eric Eversmann and Heather Simpson, Co-Chairs of the Basic Education Coalition Board of Directors.
“Education, particularly basic education, provides the foundation upon which communities and nations can thrive. Proposals to under-fund international basic education threaten not only years of progress raising levels of education attainment, but also U.S. Government investments in national security, health, agriculture, and other sectors.”
BEC would also like to thank outgoing House Appropriations Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) for her years of dedicated public service, especially for her time spent on the House Appropriations Committee. Chairwoman Granger will be retiring at the end of the 118th Congress and will be stepping down from her leadership position on the Appropriations Committee in the coming weeks.
The text of the remaining FY24 appropriations bills is available here and the SFOPS Joint Explanatory Statement is available here.