Black Caucus Foundation Begins an Audit of Its Scholarship Program

In the wake of a congresswoman’s admission that she violated rules of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s scholarship program in awarding scholarships to her relatives and those of an aide, the foundation has begun an audit of the program, its chairman announced on Monday. The foundation has also delayed its next round of scholarships until new integrity measures are in place. “There will be no self-dealing or nepotism in the awarding of college scholarships,” said the chairman, Rep. Donald M. Payne, Democrat of New Jersey. The Dallas Morning News first reported the problems with 23 scholarships handed out by Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, Democrat of Texas, since 2005. Ms. Johnson has said that her actions were unintentional, but the foundation’s lawyer, Amy Goldson, pointed out that the students, the lawmaker awarding the scholarships, or the lawmaker’s designee must certify that the recipients are not related to the lawmaker, the Associated Press reported.