H.R. 2598: IDEA Full Funding Act

When Congress created IDEA in 1975, it set a target: the federal government would cover 40% of the average per-pupil expenditure for each student with a disability. That number was supposed to represent the "excess cost" of special education over general education. It was never a ceiling — it was a floor.

The federal share has never come close. Current appropriations cover roughly 13%. The remaining 87% falls on states and local school districts, which are legally required to provide services regardless of whether the money shows up.

H.R. 2598 puts the funding on a mandatory schedule. It both authorizes and directly appropriates money — meaning the bill itself provides the funding rather than leaving it to annual budget fights. The ramp-up runs from $6.4 billion appropriated in FY2026 (4.5% of the formula) to $69.6 billion in FY2035 (40% of the formula), with specific dollar amounts locked in for each year between.

The formula is straightforward: take the number of children with disabilities served nationwide (ages 3-21), multiply by the average per-pupil spending in U.S. public schools, then apply the target percentage. If 40% of that formula amount ever exceeds $69.6 billion, the higher number controls.

One important detail: the bill covers IDEA Part B — the main special education grant program — but excludes preschool grants under Section 619. Those are funded separately.

The spending must comply with cut-as-you-go rules, which means Congress would need to find offsets elsewhere in the budget. That requirement is where the political fight lives.