Senate Subcommittee Approves $18.3 Billion 1986 ED Budget Proposal

Sep 21, 2026

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Senate Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Subcommittee approved an $18.3 billion Education Department budget proposal for fiscal 1986, including a $800 million-plus cut from the 1985 level and more than the Reagan administration’s earlier recommendation. The plan relies heavily on a $500 million reduction to the Guaranteed Student Loan program, while Pell Grants are cut by $300 million, student aid programs face freezes, and select graduate, vocational, and facilities provisions receive targeted changes.

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Senate Subcommittee Approves $18.3 Billion 1986 ED Budget Proposal

Pell Grants and loan program changes

Freezes across student aid and development programs

Institutional and facilities provisions

HIGHER EDUCATION DAILY The Independent daily news service foradministrators in postsecondaryeducation. Vo1。13,No。184 Friday,September 20,1985 # SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES $18.3 BILLION 1986 ED BUDGET PROPOSAL In swift action yesterday,the Senate Labor,Health and Human Services and Edu-cation Appropriations Subcommittee approved an $18.3 billion budget plan forthe Education Department in fiscal 1986. That level represents more than an $800 million cut from ED's s19.1 billionfiscal 1985 appropriation,but considerably more than the s15.5 billion budgetrecommended by the Reagan administration earlier this year. Much of the proposed cut stems from a $500 million slash in the GuaranteedStudent Loan(GSL)program。The cuts would be worked out under a reconcil-iation plan still to be approved by the Senate Labor,and Human ResourcesCommittee.GSL,funded at $3.8 billion in fiscal 1985,would be funded at $3.3 billion in the panel's budget. A Tight Budget"It is a very tight budget,"panel Chairman LowellWeicker,R-Conn.,told the subcommittee while releasing the figures yesterday.The full committee is expected to act on the measure,which has not been num-bered,next Tuesday,committee staffers said. The House Appropriations Committee next week also is to act on a fiscal 1986budget from its Labor,Health and Human Services and Education AppropriationsSubcommittee.The subcommittee marked up its version of the measure Sept.5behind closed doors(HED,Sept.9)。 One of the few changes from the fiscal 1985 budget came in the proposal of anew merit scholarship program to be funded at $5 million in fiscal 1986. Pell Grants CutUnder the Senate panel's plan,the Pell Grant programwould be cut $300 million,to $3.5.billion,from its $3.8 billfon budget infiscal 1985.The National Direct Student Loan program would get a $1 millionincrease under the plan,from $217 million in fiscal 1985 to $218 million infiscal 1986. The remaining student aid programs would be handed a freeze under the subcom-mittee's budget plan.The College Work Study program would be frozen at $592million,Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants at $412 million,and theState Student Incentive Grant program at $76 million. Program development,which includes aid for developing institutions,interna-tional education,the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education andcooperative education would be frozen overall at its 1985 appropriation of$200 million.(more) # SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE APPROVES $18.3 BILLION 1986 ED BUDGET PROPOSAL(Cont.) In other parts of the ED budget,the panel slapped a freeze on both theNational Intitute of Education,at $51 million,and the National Center forEducation Statistics at $8.7 million. Vocational and adult education would be increased from $940 million in fiscal1985 to $946 million in fiscal 1986 under the Senate panel's proposal. Graduate programs,including the opportunity fellowships,public servicefellowships,national graduate fellowships,legal training for the disadvan-taged and law school clinical experience programs would receive $20.3 millionunder the panel's proposal,a $500,000 increase from fiscal 1985. The entire increase stems from a hike in the national graduate fellowshipsprogram,which would be funded at $3 million instead of $2.5 million under thepanel's plan. Special programs for the disadvantaged would be frozen at $175 million andveteran's cost of instruction would stay at $3 million under the proposal.Andacademic facilities and projects would be funded at $23.5 million under theproposal,with all of the money going to the interest subsidy grant program. Highs And LowsThe academic facilities construction grant program,whichgot $28 million this year,would not be funded in 1986 under the plan.Thespecial higher education projects program of Title III,currently funded at $22million,would also not be funded.Higher education facilities loans andinsurance,however,would be increased from $14 million to $18 million under

FAQs

What budget amount did the Senate subcommittee approve for fiscal 1986?

The Senate subcommittee approved an $18.3 billion budget plan for the Education Department in fiscal 1986.

How does the proposal change the Guaranteed Student Loan (GSL) program?

The plan reduces GSL funding from $3.8 billion in fiscal 1985 to $3.3 billion in the panel’s budget.

What happens to Pell Grants under the Senate plan?

The Pell Grant program is cut by $300 million to $3.5 billion from its $3.8 billion level in fiscal 1985.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Patrick