Diane Auer Jones, a top adviser on higher education to DeVos, told a conference of Christian college leaders on Thursday, “Second Chance Pell is an experiment that we think is incredibly important — it’s probably also illegal.” She also said the department is fighting with OMB over funding for the program, describing it as the “biggest obstacle” to expanding the number of participating colleges.
— But an Education Department spokesperson later said that Jones “misspoke” and there was no conflict. Senior administration officials also pushed back against Jones’ initial remarks. “The idea that there is friction between OMB and Department of Education on this is completely untrue,” a senior administration official told POLITICO.
— The pilot program, which was launched during the Obama administration, allows Pell Grants to be awarded to state and federal prisoners — unlike loans, Pell Grants do not have to be repaid and are handed out based on financial need. During the Clinton administration’s “tough on crime” era, Congress set a ban on prisoners using Pell Grants to subsidize their education costs, and the ban has yet to be reversed.