In a somewhat unanticipated development, the House Appropriations Committee has announced procedures for Community Project Spending (CPS), better known as earmarks, for the upcoming 2026 fiscal year.
Committee chair Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) has informed congressional legislators that they can make earmark submissions as of April 14. Projects contained in the FY 2025 funding legislation, all of which were eliminated in the recently passed year-long continuing resolution — a stinging disappointment to many community college leaders — may be resubmitted along with new requests.
No member of Congress may request more than 15 projects, and the total amount of projects funded through the appropriations process cannot exceed one-half of 1% of overall discretionary spending. In addition, members must provide a priority ranking for their submitted requests.
Finally, individual subcommittee chairs, the so-called “College of Cardinals,” may set their own rules for accepting CPS requests. Unfortunately, the Labor, HHS and Education Subcommittee will not provide earmarks for the Departments of Education and Labor, but this should not deter campus leaders from seeking them.
Cole is known as a strong supporter of the TRIO programs and student aid programs, in general. He is further considered to be a more mainstream, “institutionalist” policymaker compared to others in his caucus. As is almost always the case with lead appropriators, he has emphasized the need for a predictable and routine appropriations process. While in recent years this outcome has been observed more in the breach than the observance, Cole’s commitment to process may mean that the earmarks meltdown in the FY 2025 process will not recur in the upcoming year.
Steps to take
Some colleges have already contacted, or been contacted by, their legislators concerning community projects. Institutions that have not acted yet may want to connect with their federal representatives, and sooner rather than later.
In the Senate, the Appropriations Committee has not yet set earmark procedures. Some individual senators have begun considering requests, so it is prudent to begin contacting your Senate office as well.
FY 2026 funding process
Later this month, President Donald Trump is expected to release a “skinny” FY 2026 budget, as is typical for a first-year president. At that point, this year’s FY 2026 funding cycle will begin in earnest.
Some clues about what the administration could request may be found in its actions in implementing the FY 2025 funding bill, which gave the executive branch wide latitude in program allocations. In both formal and informal channels, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) continues to urge the administration to support programs in the current fiscal year, which is already more than half elapsed, at the same level as in FY 2024. (In an action that incensed Democratic appropriators, the Office of Management and Budget has removed the statutorily required apportionment website, which details how appropriated funds are to be spent.)
AACC and the Association of Community College Trustees have released 2026 appropriations priorities, including a request for a $200 increase in the Pell Grant maximum. Given the current environment, maintaining current funding for many programs of interest would be a reasonable, if not desirable, outcome. Addressing the colossal Pell Grant shortfall is also on the minds of all those concerned about this key program. Stay tuned.
