Tracks Fiscal Year 2008's budget and appropriations process, including funding levels for programs that benefit middle and high schools. It will be updated as warranted.

Current Status of the Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education Appropriations Bill:

On December 26, President Bush signed an omnibus bill that folds the eleven remaining appropriations bills (including the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill) into one piece of legislation.

Funding levels for programs benefiting middle and high schools: To review funding levels for education programs that benefit middle and high schools as proposed in President Bush's fiscal year 2008 budget, the House version of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, the Senate Appropriations Committee bill, and the final Fiscal Year 2008 omnibus spending bill, please see this chart.

Funding levels for all education programs: A chart that contains proposed funding levels for all education programs is available from the U.S. Department of Education at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget08/08action.pdf.

A chart of total funding levels for the U.S. Department of Education from fiscal years 2001 - 2007 is also available.

Recent articles from Straight A's that detail the progression of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill are available below.

December 18, 2007

• SHOW ME THE WAY TO GO HOME: Democrats Pare Spending in Effort to Finish Appropriations Before the End of the Year: On February 5 of this year, when President Bush released his budget request for Fiscal Year (FY) 2008, many observers called it "dead on arrival" because it held discretionary spending to about a 1 percent increase-less than the rate of inflation-and cut the funding of several departments, including the U.S. Department of Education. However, after months of partisan wrangling, veto threats, and veto override attempts, it is now becoming clear that the president may actually get a final discretionary spending total that is very close to his $933 billion target. Nevertheless, Congressional Democrats were able to move money around to fund key priorities, such as a $2 billion increase for the U.S. Department of Education, while staying within the president's spending limit. 
• The chart containing funding levels for selected education programs has been updated to reflect funding levels for Fiscal Year 2008 as proposed by the Senate, House of Representatives, FY08 omnibus spending bill, and President Bush.

 November 5, 2007

• SENATE PASSES EDUCATION FUNDING BILL BY "VETO-PROOF" MARGIN: Battle with the White House Over Spending Expected in Coming Weeks: On October 23, the U.S. Senate passed the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education appropriations bill by a margin large enough to overcome a likely veto by President Bush. The bill, which funds the departments of Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), Education, and other agencies such as the Social Security Administration, passed by a vote of 75-19. In total, for all departments and agencies that the bill funds, it would authorize $9.6 billion more in discretionary spending than the amount included in the president's budget request. For that reason, President Bush has threatened to veto the bill.
• The chart containing funding levels for selected education programs has been updated to reflect funding levels for Fiscal Year 2008 as proposed by the Senate, House of Representatives, House-Senate compromise bill, and President Bush.

July 19, 2007

• HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES PASSES EDUCATION FUNDING BILL: Legislation Draws Veto Threat From President Bush for “Excessive” Spending: On July 19, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services (HHS), and Education appropriations bill. The $607 billion bill contains $152 billion in discretionary spending, which includes approximately $62 billion for the U.S. Department of Education. The bill represents an increase of $5.5 billion in discretionary spending over FY 2007 and is about $6 billion more than President Bush had requested.

June 25, 2007

• SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE APPROVES EDUCATION FUNDING BILL: Dispute Over Earmarks Delays House Action: On June 19, the Senate Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee passed its version of the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Two days later, on June 21, the full Senate Appropriations Committee gave its approval to the legislation. In the Senate version, the U.S. Department of Education would receive $60.1 billion.

June 21, 2007

• The chart containing funding levels for selected education programs has been updated to reflect funding levels for Fiscal Year 2008 that were reported out of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

June 7, 2007

• The chart containing funding levels for selected education programs has been updated to reflect funding levels for Fiscal Year 2008 that were reported out of the House Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee.

April 3, 2007

• The chart containing funding levels for selected education programs has been updated to reflect funding levels for Fiscal Year 2008.

• CONGRESS MOVES FORWARD WITH BUDGET PLAN FOR FY 2008: House and Senate Spending Blueprints Include Significant Increases for Education Programs: Federal spending on education could increase significantly based on the spending blueprints that emerged from the House and Senate over the past two weeks. Although there were slight differences between them, both the House and Senate versions of the fiscal year (FY) 2008 congressional budget resolution would provide increases for the U.S. Department of Education.

• A chart containing funding levels for selected education programs is now available. The chart includes the amount of funding programs would receive under the president's Fiscal Year 2008 budget, as well as funding levels for Fiscal Year 2006. Funding levels for Fiscal Year 2007 will be included when final funding levels are made available by the U.S. Department of Education.

February 7, 2007

• The Alliance has created a graph showing proposed and actual spending for the U.S. Department of Education from Fiscal Year 2002 to Fiscal Year 2008.

February 6, 2007

• PRESIDENT BUSH RELEASES FY 2008 BUDGET: The president's proposed budget for the U.S. Department of Education includes several high school initiatives, but would cut overall education spending.

• In his reaction to the president's proposed FY 2008 budget, Bob Wise, president of the Alliance for Excellent Education, compared President Bush to the football coach who "plans an overall good game strategy," but "insists on running some plays that have been proven to lose yardage."

February 5, 2007

• In a meeting with his Cabinet, President Bush called his Fiscal Year 2008 budget a plan that "sets priorities and, at the same time, emphasizes fiscal restraint."
• The U.S. Department of Education released a summary of the president's Fiscal Year 2008 budget for education programs.