On June 7, the House Appropriations’ Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education cleared its fiscal year (FY) 2008 budget for the programs under its jurisdiction.

The subcommittee approved $120 million for the Teaching American History grants program at the U.S. Department of Education. While this reflects level funding from FY 2007, the subcommittee rejected the Bush administration’s request that the program be cut by nearly 60 percent, to a level of $50 million.

The full House Appropriations Committee is scheduled to markup the bill sometime next week. The Senate has yet to begin work on its companion bill. However, Senator Robert C. Byrd, the original sponsor of the Teaching American History grants, chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee and has traditionally been a strong supporter of the program.