The U.S. Department of Education has withdrawn Biden-era guidance that permitted Federal Work Study (FWS) funds to be used for paying students engaged in certain partisan and nonpartisan political activities. In new guidance, the Department emphasized that FWS funds should be directed toward jobs that provide meaningful work experience, rather than political activism. This decision comes after sixteen Republican attorneys general raised concerns that the earlier guidance violated federal law.
The Department also clarified that the Higher Education Act (HEA) does not obligate institutions to distribute voter registration forms to students who are ineligible to vote. While schools are required to make a “good faith” effort to provide registration forms, the Department stated that this does not extend to foreign students or others known to be ineligible. The updated guidance aims to give institutions flexibility to comply with voter registration requirements without risking the facilitation of voter fraud.
Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent stressed that the purpose of Federal Work Study is to help students gain practical skills for the workforce, not to subsidize political rallies, voter hotlines, or poll worker positions. The Department further instructed institutions to remind students of key federal laws, including that only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections, individuals cannot vote more than once, and providing false information for voter eligibility is a federal offense.
The updated guidance was issued in line with Executive Order 14248, “Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” and underscores the administration’s stance on separating taxpayer-funded educational support from political activities.
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