The Education Department moved to open and close negotiations this week on a plan to expand Pell Grant eligibility to short-term workforce training, prompting questions from higher-education policy experts about process and feasibility. Reporters and policy analysts say one-week bargaining risks shortchanging institutional input and state implementation details. Higher-ed leaders are already juggling separate fiscal shocks: the University of Chicago announced steps to cut its fiscal 2025 deficit and other institutions are wrestling with restored or curtailed federal research dollars, endowment tax exposure and accreditation shifts in states like Florida. Those funding pressures complicate any rapid rollout of a new Pell pathway, analysts warn. Campus finance officers and enrollment leaders are watching whether the DOE’s rush yields durable policy or a stopgap that leaves institutions accountable for implementation costs. Negotiators and lawmakers remain the key actors to watch as the proposal moves through both agency and congressional scrutiny.