Soon, the Senate will be voting on the remaining appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2026. Many of the agencies important to history and historians are included in these bills, among them the National Park Service (NPS), the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Legislation concerning all of these agencies have passed the House. Senate Democrats are blocking the current appropriations package that contains funding for the Department of Homeland Security in response to recent shootings in Minneapolis by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents that have killed protestors.
Key Agencies
- The Institute for Museum and Library Services issues grants to museums, libraries, and archives, providing funding they need to open their resources to historians, educators, students and the wider public.
- The National Park Service oversees many of our national monuments and historic sites. In addition to historic preservation, NPS also interprets historical content through exhibits, web resources, and expert rangers who share research with visitors.
- The National Endowment for the Humanities issues grants to scholars and institutions to support their activities in the humanities, including research and public programming.
- The National Archives and Records Administration is the repository of all official government records, and also includes presidential libraries. The National Historical Publications and Records Commission Grants Program (NHPRC) is the grantmaking office of NARA, and supports projects that promote access to the nation’s historical records.
The Department of Education (ED) is also important for the work of historians and educators. The issues around this agency and its budget for this fiscal year are different from the above agencies, and more information about it can be found below.
The Appropriations Process
Traditionally, the annual federal budget is made up of twelve appropriations bills, although in recent years, they have been passed as one omnibus legislation package. As part of the law that ended October and November’s government shutdown, Congress passed three of the twelve bills for FY2026, which included funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the legislative branch (which includes the Library of Congress). The rest of the government’s funding was extended at FY2025 levels until January 30, 2026. Both houses of Congress will need to pass, and the president will need to sign, additional legislation to appropriate funds for the rest of the government by that date, or those agencies will shut down again.
Where Funding Stands Now
In summer 2025, the administration released annual funding requests for each of these agencies, all of which either severely reduced or even eliminated their budgets. The individual appropriations bills currently under debate in Congress either slightly reduce or keep level the funding for these crucial agencies.
Funding for IMLS (as well as the Department of Education) is appropriated through the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (frequently abbreviated to L-HHS). A bipartisan agreement has passed the House on the L-HHS bill, maintaining $291.8 million for IMLS, rejecting the administration’s proposal to eliminate the agency.
The Interior-Environment bill containing NEH and NPS funding has passed both chambers and is heading to President Trump’s desk.
Funding for NARA is included in the appropriations bill for Financial Services and General Government (FSGG). The bill passed the House on Wednesday, January 14, in combination with the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs appropriations bill. The bill reallocates NARA’s budget from previous years, with a modest increase to its operating budget, which includes funding for maintenance and digitization of records, and a large reduction to its construction budget. The administration’s budget request completely eliminated the NHPRC budget. However, the bill passed by the House decreases the NHPRC Grants Program from $10 million to $5 million, preserving some funding for crucial programs.
Resources
The AHA has created guides to support our members in their federal advocacy efforts.
- Supporting History at the Federal Level: This guide contains information on how to contact your congressional representatives and how to construct your message to best reach them.
- Preparing Your Message: This guide contains tips on how to craft a message most effectively to create a concise but convincing argument.
A Note on the Department of Education
The L-HHS bill introduced on January 20 contains $79 billion in funding for the Department of Education (ED). It increases funding in some areas, like special education and rural education, while reducing funding for department staffing. The biggest threat to the ED is the large-scale restructuring being pursued at the executive level from the administration and Secretary McMahon. We will provide additional information as it becomes available.