The Pell Grant program faces a structural funding gap that could run $6 billion to $11 billion a year over the next decade, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warned. The CRFB analysis says the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s $10.5 billion one‑time infusion only delays insolvency and that the Workforce Pell expansion — which opens Pell to short-term training — is likely to increase costs materially. The watchdog cites historical precedent where expansions of eligibility produced far larger-than-expected enrollments and costs, and it urges Congress and the Education Department to adopt accountability and funding reforms. Policymakers will have to weigh spending, eligibility or program design changes before reserves are exhausted again.