The Trump administration has proposed cuts to the federal work-study program, a move that would reduce subsidies helping roughly 700,000 students offset college costs through part-time campus and community employment. Federal work-study has enjoyed bipartisan backing since 1964 and is a core mechanism many institutions use to support low- and middle-income students' persistence. Higher-education leaders warn that reductions would push more students into unpaid internships, increase financial strain, and complicate institutions’ student-aid budgeting. Campus finance officers and student-affordability advocates are preparing policy responses and lobbying to preserve the program ahead of budget negotiations.