Tennessee has spent years and millions of dollars trying to pull more people into college, but President Donald Trump's proposed budget threatens to complicate those efforts by slashing federal funding for students facing the most hurdles.
The "budget blueprint" released last week by the White House proposes pulling $3.9 billion from reserves for the Pell grant - which covers costs for low-income students - and dramatically cutting the cash flow for a suite of programs that fund services for poor students and students who are the first in their families to pursue higher education.
The Trump White House's strategy stands in stark contrast to Republican Gov. Bill Haslam's approach, which has included money for a number of unprecedented programs under the Drive to 55 mantle, including the Tennessee Promise scholarship and the proposed Tennessee Reconnect grant that combine to offer tuition-free community college to virtually every Tennessean.
Read more at our news partner's website, tennessean.com.