May 2, 2017
Clare McCann was quoted in Inside Higher Ed on how lawmakers restored year-round Pell eligibility in a responsible way. Mary Alice McCarthy was quoted in the same article about the $95 million in appropriations for apprenticeships in the last-minute budget deal:
Clare McCann, a senior policy analyst with New America's Education Policy program, said Congress doesn't appear to have an interest in pursuing the drastic cuts outlined by the White House, especially outside of a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
"For the most part, the Trump budget will likely be a messaging document," she said. "Congress will likely continue with business as usual."
McCann said lawmakers restored year-round Pell eligibility in a responsible way by capping students at 150 percent of a maximum Pell Grant in a single year. That means they'll have roughly the same amount between fall, spring and summer semesters. It also helps ensure that students do not quickly exhaust their lifetime Pell eligibility, which is capped at 12 semesters, before they can make serious progress toward a degree.
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"It's a real signal that the interest in apprenticeship won't die with the Obama administration," said Mary Alice McCarthy, director of the Center on Education and Skills with the education policy program at New America and a former official at the U.S. Education and Labor Departments.