America First Commends the Introduction of the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) released the following statements applauding Representatives Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Bobby Scott (D-VA), Virginia Foxx (R-NC), and Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) for introducing the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act. The legislation would allow low-income Americans to use Pell Grants for short-term training programs, removing an unnecessary barrier to skills-training opportunities.

“Allowing students and workers to use Pell Grants for short-term workforce training programs in high-demand fields is good for American workers and the American economy,” said Linda McMahon, Chair of the Board and Chair of the Center for the American Worker at the America First Policy Institute. “The country is facing a historic labor shortage, and a multi-year degree program is not necessary for many Americans to obtain high-paying, fulfilling careers. This bipartisan legislation would help low-income Americans enroll in proven job-training programs with high placement rates and set themselves on a path to career success.”

“Woke universities are graduating too many students who aren’t prepared to succeed in the workforce. Many students who enroll fail to graduate in the first place,” said Dr. Jonathan Pidluzny, Ph.D., Director of the Higher Education Reform Initiative at the America First Policy Institute. “Limiting Pell eligibility to programs offered by traditional two and four-year colleges is an artifact of the failed ‘college for all’ model — a disservice to students and economically inefficient. The Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act will give young people another choice: a direct route to family-sustaining employment that does not require taking on mountains of student debt.”

To learn more about AFPI’s Center for the American Worker, click here.

To learn more about AFPI’s Higher Education Reform Initiative, click here.