House Appropriations Subcommittee Proposes 46% Cut to LSC Funding

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WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee included $300 million in funding for the ���˶��� (LSC) today in their proposed Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS) Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations legislation. This represents a 46% cut from LSC’s FY 2025 funding level of $560 million.

If enacted, this $260 million reduction in LSC’s funding would mean that nearly 3 million fewer Americans would receive legal assistance.

Taking a closer look, the House CJS Subcommittee’s proposed cut to LSC means that:

• Over 2.9 million fewer Americans would receive civil legal help
• Nearly 454,000 fewer children would be assisted
• Nearly 144,000 fewer older Americans (age 60+) would be served
• Over 20,000 fewer veterans would be supported
• Over 94,000 fewer survivors of domestic violence would be protected

The House Appropriations Subcommittee did not follow the White House’s proposal to eliminate LSC in its FY 2026 budget proposal to Congress on May 30, which provided $21 million to close down LSC. The full committee markup of the House appropriations bill has been postponed and not yet rescheduled. 

The proposed 46% cut would take LSC back to the organization’s 1999 funding level despite increased need for legal help in the decades since.  In 1999, 45.6 million Americans’ household incomes made them eligible for LSC-funded services. Currently, over 52.3 million Americans are eligible for LSC-funded legal assistance. When adjusted for inflation, a $260 million dollar reduction would actually represent an over 60% cut to LSC’s funding.

“The proposed cut to LSC would severely limit the ability of LSC-funded legal services to assist everyday Americans who are faced with devastating legal problems but cannot afford an attorney,” said LSC President Ron Flagg.

“We are deeply concerned by the prospect of rolling back over 25 years of progress in increasing access to justice across the country,” Flagg continued. “However, we know that legislators are aware of the significant value that legal services have throughout their communities, and we remain hopeful that Congress’ long-term, bipartisan support of LSC will be reflected in appropriations decisions going forward.”

This year, “Dear Colleague” letters in support of robust funding for LSC were endorsed by 48 bipartisan members of the U.S. Senate and 154 bipartisan members of the U.S. House of Representatives.  

External stakeholders also sent letters to Congress supporting strong investment in LSC for FY 2026, including , of state supreme courts, leaders of with offices across all 50 states, and from the general counsels or chief legal officers of .  

More than 94% of LSC’s federal appropriation is distributed as grants to 130 independent nonprofit organizations with offices in every Congressional district around the country. These organizations provide direct representation, resources and education to their communities for civil legal matters involving domestic violence, disaster recovery, consumer scams and fraud, housing and more.  

LSC’s FY 2026 budget request called for $2.13 billion to fund this work. This funding request, which was unanimously approved by the organization’s bipartisan Board of Directors, is based on the resources needed for LSC-funded legal services providers to fully serve the 3.7 million eligible Americans who seek assistance each year. 

Recent analysis of over 50 studies found that civil legal services yield an average return of . Legal assistance generates a positive economic impact by preventing or solving legal problems that would lead to costly public expenditures on things like emergency medical care, law enforcement and shelters. Legal aid also helps improve family stability, leading to increased participation in local economies and reduced reliance on other forms of assistance.   

Learn more about the impact of cutting LSC funds at the national, state or district level by using LSC’s Funding Impact Calculator.