Representative Francis Rooney of Florida's 19th congressional district has offered a one sentence amendment -- to a FY 2018 spending bill -- that would cut the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) by $195.3 million. For some context, the president's FY 2018 budget requested level funding (compared with the estimated baseline used at the time) at $616.8 million for IES. His budget request ultimately proved to be a suggested 1.9% increase when compared with the final FY 2017 appropriation provided by Congress.

According to the FY 2018 budget request, funds would support:

"...critical investments in education research, development, dissemination, and evaluation that provide parents, teachers, schools, and policymakers with evidence-based information on effective educational practices. The request would enable IES to sustain its efforts to produce and support the use of evidence-based practices in the field and in the Department, make approximately $34.9 million in new research awards, and continue disseminating information about what works in education to States and localities."

If the House Rules Committee allows the amendment to go forward for consideration by the full House, a considerable response is expected from the higher education community in advance of a vote.

***Update (09/14/17)*** This amendment was not ultimately put forward