Rep. Rosa DeLauro criticized House Republicans last fall for passing a downsized education budget, accusing them of attempting to “eliminate public education” and “decimate support for children in K-12 schools.” The charge was overdramatized and incorrect.

Federal education funding accounts for roughly 10 percent of total K-12 spending nationwide. Despite decades of increasing federal investment, student achievement has stagnated. Math and reading scores on the Nation’s Report Card are at or near historic lows. The Department of Education has existed only since 1980, making it younger than most members of Congress.

This week, the Senate is set to vote on the final spending bill for fiscal year 2026, which includes funding for the Department of Education. The bill represents a striking reversal from what the House of Representatives advanced just months ago, and from what the president himself requested.

The House version passed out of the Appropriations Committee last September would have cut education spending by roughly 15 percent, reducing the Department’s budget to about $67 billion. That........

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