Bush Targets Byrd-named Program for Chopping Block

President Bush has zeroed out funding for the Byrd Honors Scholarship in his final proposed federal budget, eliciting howls of protest from the longest-serving senator in U.S. history.

Congress set up the program named for U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, D-W.Va., "in 1986 for students who demonstrated academic achievement and who had been accepted to a college or university," The Associated Press explains.

Byrd denounced the proposed funding cut in a statement Monday.

The Politico observes that "It happens every year – the president highlights dozens of federal programs he deems useless and uses his budget to try to kill them. Quite often, Congress ignores the list."

Questioning such a personal dig, Politico also links to a table of all program's on this year's White House hit list (starting on page 7).

MetroNews Talkline host Hoppy Kercheval also notes Bush's gambit, while citing a Washington Post article that labels it “a symbolic shot at a fierce Bush critic.”