Work‑study ban on voter drives

Updated: 2025.12.02 4D ago 2 sources
The administration used a 'Dear Colleague' letter to bar use of federal work‑study funds for voter registration and related activities on campus. Because work‑study subsidizes millions of student jobs, this policy restricts a key funding channel for university‑backed get‑out‑the‑vote efforts. — It shows how executive guidance can reshape youth turnout infrastructure without new legislation, raising neutrality and election‑governance concerns.

Sources

Oregon Struggles to Land Federal Counterterrorism Money as Trump Orders Troops to Stop “Terrorists” Hindering ICE
Tony Schick 2025.12.02 85% relevant
Both stories show a common tactic: the federal executive uses grant or fund conditions and administrative guidance to reshape subnational behavior (Education Dept. guidance blocking work‑study voter drives; DHS conditioning counterterrorism grants on ICE cooperation). The Oregon case supplies a new, high‑stakes example with $18M, a disabled grant‑accept button, and follow‑on litigation that maps onto the same institutional lever — federal money as a policy cudgel.
Trump’s War on Universities
Tom Ginsburg 2025.10.02 100% relevant
The article states the Trump administration issued a Dear Colleague letter prohibiting use of federal work‑study funds to support voter registration.
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