With the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) now law, the Department of Education is moving rapidly to operationalize Workforce Pell and other implementation details—then wind down or revise elements as rulemaking continues. Inside Higher Ed’s deep-dive shows tense timelines for negotiated rulemaking, data changes, and accountability mechanisms that must be in place before programs can access federal funds. > Inside Higher Ed’s analysis highlights practical hurdles: data infrastructure for earnings-based accountability, aligning new loan limits and repayment transfers, and protecting Pell’s overall budget. The Education Department signaled it wants to begin and conclude Workforce Pell procedures in a compressed window, prompting experts to warn that rushed implementation could create confusion for institutions and students. > Policy stakeholders—including conservative and progressive experts quoted in the analysis—agree on the need for accountability, but argue the federal agency must extend timelines and clarify guidance to avoid unintentionally cutting off eligible programs or misallocating scarce Pell dollars.