U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have agreed to collaborate on enabling students to use Pell Grants for short-term job training programs. This development was discussed during a Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee hearing focused on the FY2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Education.
Hyde-Smith inquired about the timeline for implementing this change, emphasizing its importance since her tenure began in 2018. McMahon expressed support for allowing Pell Grants to fund short-term courses, stating that the Trump administration would work with Congress to make this possible.
“We’d like to do that, you know, right away,” McMahon said. She highlighted the inclusion of short-term Pell Grants in the new budget as a means to quickly integrate students into the workforce.
The expansion of Pell Grant eligibility is also a goal of legislation cosponsored by Hyde-Smith earlier this year. The bipartisan Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students (JOBS) Act aims to address skills shortages in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and construction by expanding eligibility.
Additionally, Hyde-Smith addressed Career and Technical Education (CTE) grants’ significance to Mississippi and questioned how they might be affected by the administration’s budget proposal. McMahon assured efforts are underway to enhance efficiency across federal workforce training programs.
“The President has charged us to work with Commerce and Labor… we have about 43 different workforce development programs across the government,” McMahon explained. Efforts are being made to streamline these programs through interdepartmental collaboration.
McMahon also committed to investigating why Mississippi has not received any Education, Innovation, and Research (EIR) grants from 2021-2024 while other states have secured significant funding.
“EIR grants… are critical for boosting achievements in high-needs students,” Hyde-Smith stated. She noted that despite challenges such as low median incomes and teacher shortages, Mississippi had been overlooked in grant allocations compared to states like California and New York.
