Education (Libraries)

HR 82, the Defund National Endowment for the Humanities Act of 2025, prohibits the use of federal funds for specific programs administered by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). It blocks funding for Section 7 of the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965, which covers grants supporting humanities projects like historical research, library programs, and educational initiatives. This bill directly affects the NEH’s ability to fund these programs starting in the first fiscal year after its enactment. The change would apply to future funding cycles, not current allocations, and does not eliminate all NEH funding.

This joint resolution seeks to block a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule that aimed to expand internet access for schools through the E-Rate program, specifically addressing the "homework gap" by increasing funding for student connectivity. The rule, published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2024, would have modified how schools and libraries access broadband under the E-Rate program. If passed, the resolution would cancel this rule, preventing it from taking effect under federal disapproval procedures. This is a procedural action targeting a specific FCC regulatory change, not a new policy.

HJRES 33 is a congressional resolution seeking to block a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rule that aimed to expand the E-Rate Program to address the "homework gap" by improving school internet access. The resolution invokes a federal process (under Chapter 8 of Title 5, U.S. Code) to disapprove the FCC's specific rule, which was published in the Federal Register on August 20, 2024. If passed, this resolution would prevent the FCC rule from taking effect, directly affecting the implementation of E-Rate Program upgrades for schools and libraries. The measure does not create new policy but halts an existing FCC rule through congressional disapproval.