Representative Dean Holds the Line on International Basic Education Funding

During the June 3 House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the State Department's budget request, Representative Madeleine Dean pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on how much of the more than $690 million that Congress appropriated for international basic education in Fiscal Year 2025 has actually been spent. Dean, a member of the Appropriations Committee, raised concerns about whether the administration is honoring Congress's constitutional authority over federal spending. She also pointed out that support for basic education has long been a bipartisan priority, noting that Secretary Rubio himself backed the READ Act while serving in the Senate.

The Basic Education Coalition thanks Representative Dean for asking this question and for holding the administration accountable to the funding that Congress approved. Basic education gives children the tools to learn, grow, and build better futures, and it is an investment that both parties have supported for years. We appreciate lawmakers who continue to push for clear answers on how these funds are being used.

House Appropriations Committee Maintains Basic Education Funding in FY 2027 NSRP Bill

The House Appropriations Committee has passed the FY 2027 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (NSRP) Appropriations bill, and it includes several wins for international basic education. The Committee maintained funding at the FY 2026 level of $691,500,000 for basic education programs. The bill also includes report language directing that the funding be competitively awarded and used for programs that measurably improve the quality of education and increase learning outcomes for children around the world.

The bill also addresses concerns around delays in spending basic education funds and gaps in staffing at the State Department needed to carry out these programs. The Committee directs the Secretary of State to report back within 60 days of the bill's enactment on the status of basic education programs and the Department's capacity to manage them.

We greatly appreciate the Committee’s continued support of international basic education programs and we will continue to track the bill as it moves forward.

Thank You to the 110 House Members Who Signed the FY 2027 Basic Education Funding Letter

The Basic Education Coalition thanks the 110 members of the House of Representatives who signed a bipartisan letter urging the Appropriations Committee to support strong funding for international basic education in Fiscal Year 2027. Led by Representatives Mike Quigley and Brian Fitzpatrick, the letter was sent on March 13, 2026, to Chairman Mario Diaz-Balart and Ranking Member Lois Frankel of the Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs. The letter asks for $970 million for the Nita M. Lowey Basic Education Fund, including $121.6 million for the Global Partnership for Education and $30.4 million for Education Cannot Wait.

This funding would build on the bipartisan support that basic education programs have received for years under the READ Act. As the letter notes, an estimated 278 million children could be out of school globally by the end of 2026, and this funding helps give them a path toward learning, stability, and opportunity.

We are grateful to every member who signed on, and we will continue working with Congress to make sure this funding moves forward in the FY 2027 bill.

Devex: Will the US start funding global education again in 2026?

Devex article by Gabriella Jóźwiak on January 6

A new Devex article looks at whether the U.S. government will begin funding global education programs again in 2026, after last year's closure of USAID and the transfer of remaining foreign aid programs to the State Department. Reporter Gabriella Jóźwiak notes that under the Trump administration, barely any of the nearly $1 billion allocated to global education for fiscal 2025 was actually spent, leaving advocates hopeful but cautious about what this year will bring.

Anna Roberts, the Basic Education Coalition's Director of Government Relations, is featured in the piece sharing reasons for cautious optimism, including new State Department job postings for foreign aid staff, a better-than-expected FY2026 appropriations bill from the House, and the appointment of a special envoy for Best Future Generations. As Roberts told Devex, "We'll rebuild. It's going to be slow, and it's going to look different. But we will." You can read the full article on Devex.