Press release:
Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24) member of the House Ways and Means Committee, today reintroduced H.R. 348, the Transparency in COVID-19 Expenditures Act, alongside Representatives Mike Gallagher (WI-08), Jake LaTurner (KS-02), Darrell Issa (CA-48), and Chris Smith (NJ-04).
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit the funding provided by the COVID-19 relief bills Congress passed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Specifically, the GAO must audit and report on the use of funding provided by:
- the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020
- the Families First Coronavirus Response Act
- the CARES Act
- the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act
- Divisions M and N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, and
- the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
The United States has spent over $4 trillion in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, much of which was spent without proper oversight. In fact, the New York State Comptroller reported that over $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment insurance payments were made during the first year of the pandemic alone.
Following the release of H.R. 348, the lawmaker released the following statement:
“Taxpayers deserve to know where their money went and how it was spent,” said Congresswoman Tenney. “Now that we are in the Majority, House Republicans are leading to charge to make the government more accountable and transparent, and that starts with how American’s tax dollars were spent. The financial fraud following the COVID-19 pandemic was unprecedented and we must ensure we never give out a blank check and make these same mistakes again. I’m honored to lead this charge to create a more transparent government.”
Read the full text of the bill here.
