The One Big Beautiful Bill Act extends Pell Grants to low-income students enrolled in eligible short-term programs, expected to support hundreds of thousands of students annually.
The Trump administration has frozen roughly $716 million intended for adult education programs, impacting funding for high school equivalency classes, ESL programs, and community colleges.
"I want to give him opportunities, and in order to do that, I have to get ahead," said Orea, a single mother. "I don't want him to feel limited in the same way I did."
"This is something that was not the fault of the state board or colleges," board chair Martin Valadez told The Washington State Standard. "This money has already basically been spent."