I’ve read that many liberals are demanding that the term “STEM” no longer be used as it discriminates against the liberal arts (seriously). They want STEM to be replaced by STEMS, with the final S standing for the Social Sciences.
So the proposal by the author would get watered down, sooner or later. And the cost would balloon.
There’s no reason for government subsidy to start with.
Just remove the artificial barriers that jack up costs and limit the flexibility for students to work their way through.