Congressman Blake Moore Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse of Federal Funds

Congressman Blake Moore Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent the Waste, Fraud, and Abuse of Federal Funds

WASHINGTON - Congressman Blake Moore (R-UT) and Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) introduced bipartisan legislation to prevent the waste, fraud, and abuse of federal funds. H.R. 8343, the Enhancing Improper Payment Accountability Act, would support the protection of taxpayer dollars by enacting more comprehensive reporting requirements for new federal spending programs and ensuring all programs are compliant with current reporting standards. In-depth information on programs and activities susceptible to improper payments will provide Congress and executive branch agencies the necessary tools to detect and prevent improper payments.

"Over the last 20 years, the federal government has made $2.7 trillion in improper payments. Mishandling taxpayer dollars with little oversight is big government at its worst," said Congressman Blake Moore. "That is why I am pleased to introduce the Enhancing Improper Payment Accountability Act as part of the House Budget Committee's package to tackle improper payments. This legislation will enact more reporting requirements for new federal spending programs, improving our ability to detect and prevent improper payments and more responsibly steward our federal resources. There are plenty of messaging bills in Congress, but this bill is squarely focused on addressing a major issue within our spending crisis."

"Virginia taxpayers and Americans across our country deserve to trust that their federal tax dollars are going toward their intended purpose. Unfortunately, we continue to receive reports of payments that should not have been made or have been made in the wrong amount," said Congresswoman Abigail Spanberger. "Improper payments and fraud not only hurt American taxpayers - but also hurt the members of our communities who federal programs are created to assist and diminish public trust in the federal government's role managing taxpayer dollars. Congress has a responsibility to both stand up programs that address the pressing needs of Americans and protect their hard-earned dollars."

Specifically, the Enhancing Improper Payment Accountability Act would:

• Designate all new federal spending programs making more than $100 million in payments annually in the first three fiscal years as "susceptible to significant improper payments" in their initial four years of operation;
• Subject these programs to more stringent and timely improper payment reporting requirements;
• Require agencies to report on their antifraud controls and fraud risk management efforts in their annual financial reports to Congress; and
• Require the President's budget request to disclose information on agencies and programs that are required to report on improper payments but do not do so.

Supporting groups include: the Utah Taxpayers Association, the Audient Group, Bipartisan Policy Center Action, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, LexisNexis Risk Solutions, the National Taxpayers Union, the Project On Government Oversight, and the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.

Background

• According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), improper payments are any payments "that should not have been made or were made in the incorrect amount." Since Fiscal Year (FY) 2003, the federal government has made a cumulative $2.7 trillion in improper payments.
• Each year, the federal government makes hundreds of billions in improper payments. In FY 2023 alone, 14 federal agencies reported a total of $236 billion in improper payments across 71 government programs.
• As new programs are created and federal spending soars, so does the risk of improper payments. Annual improper payments have increased from $106 billion in FY 2013 to $247 billion in FY 2022.
• The true cost to the federal government of improper payments is likely even higher than current data indicates, as some programs that agencies have determined are susceptible to significant improper payments do not report estimates.
• The Enhancing Improper Payment Accountability Act would address wasteful and fraudulent spending by codifying recommendations from the GAO for more stringent and timely reporting requirements in new federal spending programs and directing the President's budget request to disclose information on agencies and programs that are noncompliant with current reporting requirements. All of this would reinforce the role of Congress and federal agencies in reducing the occurrence of improper payments.

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