Fraud in California community colleges triggers call for Trump investigation
Adam Echelman
April 25, 2025
In summary
Following CalMatters reporting, California’s Republican representatives are calling for the U.S. Department of Education and Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate how California’s community colleges are handling financial aid fraud.
Nine Republican U.S. representatives are calling on U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon and U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate financial aid fraud at California’s community colleges. In a separate letter sent Wednesday, state Assemblymember Blanca Rubio, a West Covina Democrat, asked the state to conduct its own audit on the matter.
This rare moment of bipartisan concern comes after CalMatters reported that fake community college students have stolen more than $10 million in federal financial aid and more than $3 million in state aid in the last 12 months.
In their April 11 letter to Bondi and McMahon, which cites CalMatters’ reporting, California’s Republican representatives say that investigating fraud at California’s community colleges should be part of President Donald Trump’s ongoing efforts to “curb wasteful federal spending.”
