On February 3, 2026, President Donald Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, which ended a four-day partial federal government shutdown and extended $1.2 trillion in funding for roughly half of all federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, through September 30, 2026 (the end of the federal fiscal year). The partial shutdown was the second time in the last four months the federal government has been shut down, following the late 2025 shutdown that was the longest in U.S. history.
While the new budget agreement provides funding for most agencies and services, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is only funded through a short-term continuing resolution that maintains its current funding levels through February 13. In contrast to the education budget proposals from President Trump and the House Republican caucus, the ConsolidatedAppropriations Act of 2026 largely maintains current federal education funding levels.
This briefing provides a high-level overview of how the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 affects K-12 education and its implications for Connecticut.
Citation
School and State Finance Project. (2026). Federal Education Funding Update: Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. Southington, CT: Author. Retrieved from https://files.schoolstatefinance.org/hubfs/Reports/Federal%20Education%20Funding%20Update%20-%20February%202026.pdf.