It didn’t take long for this plan to become a reality.

Michael Stratford reports at Inside Higher Ed.

Politics of Pell for Prisoners

The Obama administration’s plan to open up Pell Grants to some incarcerated students, which will be announced formally on Friday, is already drawing criticism from some Republicans.

The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday that the “limited pilot program” will operate under the experimental sites initiative, which allows the department to waive certain rules that govern federal financial aid.

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are pushing back on the administration’s plan by questioning the department’s authority to start the pilot program, since the U.S. Congress explicitly cut most prisoners’ eligibility for Pell Grants in the mid-1990s.
Representative John Kline, the Minnesota Republican who chairs the U.S. House education committee, said he was open to discussing “whether this aid can help incarcerated individuals become productive members of society.”

But the White House “has chosen once again to stifle an important debate by acting unilaterally and without regard for the law,” he said in a written statement.

A department official, however, said in an email that the “administration believes equipping incarcerated individuals with the skills they need to successfully re-enter the community is one of the most powerful and cost-effective methods to ensure they avoid future contact with the justice system and become productive members of society.”

The Obama administration has been considering the move since at least 2013, when it solicited proposals on experiments in federal student aid programs. The Education Department has the power under the Higher Education Act to temporarily waive certain requirements that typically govern federal financial aid.