A government watchdog group has criticized at least one federal education scholarship program. “The late Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.), the ‘King of Pork,’ started the Byrd Honors Scholarship program in 1985,” Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) notes in its Prime Cuts Summary which came out last month. “Since then, it has awarded up to $1,500 to 7,000 high-achieving students around the country every year.”
“The scholarships are awarded according to academic merit, regardless of income or
background. Privately, the Byrd Scholarships might be a worthy, admirable cause. Publicly, they subsidize college tuition for students who would be going to college with or without the federal cash, and who have dozens of other taxpayer-subsidized or private scholarship and grant opportunities.”
Malcolm A. Kline is the Executive Director of Accuracy in Academia.
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