Congressional leaders on both sides of the aisle publicly spoke out against the President's FY19 budget request. Congress is still working to finalize the FY18 budget and we expect to see an omnibus this week. BEC has been advocating to ensure that Basic Education is protected in the final FY18 appropriations bill and we are calling for the omnibus to include the House’s higher funding level for Basic Education of $800,000,000.
House and Senate Appropriations Committees are simultaneously beginning their work on the FY19 budget. As the FY19 budget process picks up steam on the Hill, BEC is submitting the following program funding request to key Congressional offices on the Appropriations Committees: “$925,000,000 for Basic Education, with at least $800,000,000 provided as Development Assistance. USAID is working with trusted partners to mobilize U.S. resources and expertise behind common goals. We respectfully urge Congress to seek funding at the requested level in order to expand effective existing programs as part of USAID’s Education Strategy.”