Campus Reform https://www.campusreform.org/article/california-republicans-call-probe-reported-college-aid-fraud/27985
California lawmakers are demanding answers after it was revealed that over one-third of statewide community college applications may have been submitted to defraud taxpayers.
The effort is spearheaded by Rep. Young Kim.
California Republican lawmakers are demanding answers after data revealed that more than one-third of community college applications in the state may have been submitted to defraud taxpayer-funded aid programs.
Led by Congresswoman Young Kim, the delegation sent a letter to U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Attorney General Pam Bondi urging their respective departments to examine the scope of the problem and how it was allowed to escalate under state oversight.
Kim was joined by fellow U.S. House members Reps. Kevin Kiley, Ken Calvert, David Valadao, Doug LaMalfa, Darrell Issa, Vince Fong, Tom McClintock, and Jay Obernolte, who jointly raised concerns that fraudulent actors may have misappropriated over $13 million in taxpayer-funded aid.
“Recent data from the Chancellor’s Office reveals that approximately 34% of community college applications from the last calendar year were fraudulent,” the letter read. “These figures only account for those scams that were detected.”
The lawmakers emphasized that the fraudulent activity misuses public funds and undermines access for American students, particularly in high-demand programs like nursing and accounting.
Kim posted on X that she is “leading the CA GOP delegation in demanding an investigation into reports of fake community college applications in California that have stolen millions in federal & state student aid.”
“This rampant fraud is a disgrace to California taxpayers,” added Kim.
A Department of Education spokesperson told Fox News in a statement that the Biden administration is at fault for worsening education fraud.
“Fraud in the federal student aid programs is not new, but it was made dramatically worse by the Biden Administration’s intentional destruction of both loan origination and repayment systems in their effort to illegally transfer hundreds of billions of dollars in loans to taxpayers who did not benefit from them,” the spokesperson noted.
California operates the most extensive public higher education system in the United States, with 116 community colleges educating more than 2.1 million students.
However, California is not the only state dealing with potential waste and fraud within its higher educational system.
In April, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the state’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) task force to end wasteful spending at Florida’s 12 public universities.
One example is at the University of Florida, where student activity fees were utilized to pay $60,000 for a speaking event with TikTok creator Josh Richards. In another example, Florida Atlantic University spent over $100,000 on “Diversity Award Training” for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Campus Reform reached out to Rep. Kim for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
