WASHINGTON — Biden’s administration on Thursday announced a series of measures to track and punish scammers who scammed billions of taxpayer dollars with the intention of providing relief to Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Joe Biden is pledging $1. 6 billion to strengthen law enforcement and new systems that will be used to prosecute fraudsters, prevent fraud, and provide assistance to victims of identity theft.
“We don’t just need to catch them and get their funding, we need to send them a signal that they can run, but they can’t hide,” said Gene Sperling, a senior Biden adviser overseeing COVID-19 implementation. Relief plan.
The federal government has distributed more than $5 trillion in pandemic aid through systems approved by Biden and former President Donald Trump. The money was distributed quickly, leading to an accumulation of fraud and other misplaced payments, such as those that deserve not to have been made or made for the amount.
The Government Accountability Office reported last month that the extent of fraud in COVID relief systems is not yet known, however, the UI program has allegedly made more than $60 billion in fraudulent payments.
From March 2020 through last January, at least another 1,044 people pleaded guilty or were convicted of defrauding COVID relief programs, according to the GAO report. Federal rates were pending against 609 other Americans or entities for attempting to defraud COVID relief programs. .
In addition, the federal government has awarded $5. 4 billion in COVID assistance to small businesses with “questionable” Social Security numbers, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee reported in January. run through the Small Business Administration.
The Republican-led House Oversight and Accountability Committee opened an investigation into fraud in COVID relief programs. The committee held its first hearing on the issue last month.
Sperling, however, said the administration’s anti-fraud package is not a direct reaction to GOP investigations. Most of the proposals were ready before last November’s election, he said.
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Michael Collins covers the White House. Follow him on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS.