Congressman Bill Clay (D-MO), calls it "wasteful spending of taxpayer money," and other congressional members are calling for an investigation into its propriety. At issue is a $175,000 National Science Foundation grant for a study to find out why the best and brightest citizens don't run for Congress. Sandy Maisel, one of the two Colby College political science professors in charge of the study, said that it was not their goal to get more candidates to run for office and that, in her words, "I like the Congress and I like the members of Congress."

†