The Trump administration has ended a controversial Biden-era policy that allowed federal student aid funds to be used for political activity, including paying college students to serve as poll workers and operate voter hotlines. The U.S. Department of Education announced the rollback, stating that federal work-study (FWS) dollars must focus on jobs that offer genuine workforce preparation—not political engagement.
The original 2022 rule, implemented under President Biden, directed schools to treat certain election-related activities as eligible for federal work-study compensation. Colleges were encouraged to use taxpayer funds to pay students for running voter registration drives, participating in voter education, and working the polls. Under the revised rule, these activities are no longer eligible for FWS payments.
In a statement, Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent clarified the administration’s position, saying student aid programs “should not be a backdoor funding stream for political activism.” The department emphasized that the intent of the FWS program is to help students gain real-world job experience aligned with their academic and professional goals—not to subsidize partisan operations on college campuses.
The administration also revised guidance on how colleges fulfill their voter registration obligations under the Higher Education Act. While federal law still requires institutions to distribute voter registration forms to eligible students, the Trump administration now allows schools to exclude students they “reasonably believe” are not U.S. citizens. Institutions can also inform students that voting more than once, registering in multiple states, or providing false information is a federal crime.
The policy change comes amid growing concerns that universities have been increasingly used as platforms for partisan influence, with public funding being directed toward left-leaning civic engagement efforts. Critics of the Biden-era rule argued it blurred the line between education and political campaigning, undermining the integrity of both the electoral process and the use of taxpayer dollars.
The Trump administration’s decision restores a clearer boundary between student aid and political activity, reinforcing the principle that federal education funds should not be used to support partisan agendas.
