Back to school means back to D.C. for Congress. What’s ahead in September?

The slower pace of August in Washington, D.C., is nearing its end. The imminent return of the U.S. Congress to Capitol Hill and the people’s business suggests the need for revisiting what lawmakers did before the August recess and what faces them in September. As students and teachers go back to school, afterschool advocates have advocating to do.

FY 2024 spending bills

Lawmakers were working on the twelve fiscal year (FY) 2024 spending bills right up until they left town. The Senate Appropriations Committee passed all twelve of its bills, wrapping up the Friday before recess. Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a joint statement of the effort, “For the first time in five years, this committee finished passing all twelve individual appropriations bills with overwhelming bipartisan votes, under incredibly tough circumstances—and all before the end of July. When we said we would return this committee to regular order, we meant it—this is a big deal.” The House has not been as productive. They have only approved one FY 2024 spending bill on the floor—the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs package—and only a handful have won approval from the full committee.

Why are the House and Senate in such different places in regards to spending bills? The answer is a complicated one, with lots of politics involved, but the largest issue is that the House is developing bills that set overall FY 2024 spending at FY 2022 levels. In early June, President Joe Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA), a bill that accommodates the country’s borrowing needs through 2025, but also sets FY 2024 spending levels to those of FY 2023. House Republicans decided to cut spending even further—by $115 billion overall—to FY 2022 levels.  That means that their spending plans have proposed severe cuts to a number of programs important to varied and numerous stakeholders. These proposals have not and will not receive a single Democratic vote. In the meantime, Senate spending leaders developed bills at the limits set by the FRA and won broad support from both parties. This sets the stage for September drama, with only a handful of legislative days left when they reconvene before the end of FY 2023.

What does this mean for afterschool?

What specifically does this mean for afterschool stakeholders? It means that they and their allies are urging lawmakers to reject the House-proposed Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS) plan. That proposal, which has only been approved via a partisan vote at the Subcommittee level, would, according to a summary prepared by Committee Republicans, provide the Department of Education $67.4 billion—a $12.1 billion cut. The plan would cut Title I funding—money that supports schools in poverty-stricken communities—by 80 percent. The bill would eliminate supports for teachers and other educators that are provided via Title II of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Funding for Title IV, part B – 21st Century Community Learning Centers, would be level in the House and Senate bills at $1.329 billion. The House bill would also level fund Title IV, Part A—a program districts can use flexibly, including on STEM education programs; the Senate LHHS bill would provide a modest increase. According to a summary of the Senate bill prepared by Committee Democrats, the Senate bill’s overall funding for the Department of Education is $79.6 billion. In contrast to the House’s proposal to cut Title I, it would increase funds for the program. It also maintains other important investments in educator professional development and speaks directly to efforts to address teacher shortages. The education community strongly prefers the Senate plan, as do afterschool stakeholders. (Read more about the Senate bill’s provisions and afterschool; read about the House bill.)

Another bill important to the afterschool community is the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill. It invests in STEM education programs at the National Science Foundation and other agencies, and programs at the Justice Department that support juveniles, such as youth mentoring programs. STEM advocates are watching for more details from lawmakers to discern how proposed cuts to STEM education at NSF might affect specific programs. In addition, as the CHIPS and Science Act reaches its one-year anniversary, its supporters are disappointed by the appropriations proposed for its implementation. As for the Justice Department’s programs of particular interest, the House plan would cut funding for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Protection; the Senate bill proposes a modest increase. The table below compares the two different bills in their support for afterschool and summer learning, with the current FY 2023 spending level for context:

A committee-prepared summary of the Senate CJS bill is available, as well as a committee-prepared summary of the House CJS bill.

What’s next?

Lawmakers are staring down a September 30 deadline for action on FY 2024 spending. If a temporary spending measure known as a continuing resolution (CR) isn’t passed by then, the federal government could be forced to shutdown. House Republicans began holding conference calls in August to discuss how they might avoid a shutdown, and Speaker Kevin McCarthy proposed a CR that would last through December to give lawmakers the time they need to pass bills and negotiate with their Senate colleagues. The House Freedom Caucus has said they would oppose such a measure, unless it complied with a number of demands. The clock is ticking for Republican leaders who could alienate some in their party if they appease the Freedom Caucus. Speaker McCarthy and his allies will face tricky negotiations as September 30 approaches.

What can you do?

Friends of afterschool can weigh in with their members of Congress about the importance of funding afterschool and summer learning programs. Keep in mind that the spending debate could very well last through Lights On Afterschool! Now is the perfect time to register and begin planning your event. Be sure to highlight the importance of federal funds to local afterschool and summer learning programs.

To learn more about appropriations for STEM education, check out our recent blog, "Summer is ending! What is the status of appropriations for STEM on Capitol Hill?"