Putting American Students First Act
The Putting American Students First Act would change who may participate in federal TRIO programs (federal college access and success programs). It adds a new eligibility requirement that participants must have one of several specified immigration or residency statuses, effectively narrowing who can qualify for TRIO assistance. Eligible statuses include U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, certain non-citizens present in the U.S. for non-temporary purposes who can show an intention to become lawful permanent residents, and certain residents or citizens connected to Freely Associated States or CNMI under specified compacts. The bill also bars waivers of this eligibility requirement through existing or related authority and updates cross-references in the Higher Education Act to reflect the new subsection. Overall, the bill shifts TRIO eligibility toward citizens and long-settled residents, with potential reductions in access for many noncitizen students and added compliance requirements for program-administering institutions.
Key Points
- 1New eligibility standard for TRIO programs: To participate, an individual must be a U.S. national, a lawful permanent resident, a noncitizen physically present in the U.S. for non-temporary purposes who can show DHS evidence of intent to become an LPR, a citizen or lawful resident of Freely Associated States, or CNMI resident as defined in the bill.
- 2Waivers prohibited: The eligibility rule cannot be waived by existing statutes or authorities, including provisions related to performance-based pilots or other statutory waivers.
- 3Conforming amendments: The bill adjusts cross-references in several HEA sections to accommodate the new eligibility framework (renumbering and related edits).
- 4Scope of impact: The change directly narrows who can participate in TRIO programs by tying eligibility to specific immigration/residency statuses.
- 5Framing and purpose: The bill is titled to emphasize prioritizing “American students,” aligning TRIO eligibility with citizenship/residency status rather than broader need-based access alone.