Billions in COVID Fraud Set to Be Investigated

On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee, which is now headed by Republicans, will hold a hearing to examine billions in COVID-19 relief money stolen. 

“We owe it to Americans to identify how hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars spent under the guise of pandemic relief were lost to waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement. For the past two years, Democrats in the Administration and Congress have spent far too much time pushing money out the door and far too little time conducting meaningful oversight of how that money is being spent,” House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer released in a statement about the hearing. “That changes with our House Republican majority. Under Republican leadership, the Oversight Committee is returning to its primary duty to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government and hold President Biden accountable.”

According to CNBCThe Secret Service opened over 900 criminal investigations into COVID relief fraud. 

In an effort to assist small businesses, last year’s government quickly launched the Paycheck Protection Program as well as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Both programs have been plagued by problems. Uncontrollable fraud could have cost billions of dollars, according to a Labor Department inspector general.

Fraudsters found easy prey through the fast rollout and expansion of the Pandemic Uemployment Assistance program. The Labor Department’s Office of Inspector General, in a report released in March, said that at least $89 billion of the estimated $896 billion in unemployment program funds “could be paid improperly, with a significant portion attributable to fraud.”

While Democrats were in charge, they did not launch any investigation into the theft of funds. 

American taxpayers have been robbed of at least $560billion through COVID spending.

This money was subject to fraud, mismanagement, abuse, and waste.

Wednesday’s ahref=” will provide more information.https://twitter.com/GOPoversight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@GOPoversight hearing.

— Rep Andy Biggs (@RepAndyBiggsAZ) January 30, 2023

Reports indicate that over $200 billion of pandemic relief funds were fraudulently distributed.

These are thefts of taxpayer dollars, plain and simple.

Transparency is important to the American people. I’ll be posting next week my ahref=”https://twitter.com/GOPoversight?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@GOPoversight It is something that my colleagues and I will do. https://t.co/lIitAQ50kv

— Rep. Pat Fallon (@RepPatFallon) January 27, 2023

Michael Horowitz, U.S. Government Accountability Office Gene Dodaro (Department of Justice), and David Smith, U.S. Secret Service Assistant director of Investigations (Department of Justice), will testify. The hearing will be held Wednesday, at 10 p.m. eastern.  

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