(RightIsRight.co) – In a bombshell report, a congrеssional watchdog agency estimates that the federal government made a quarter of a trillion dollars in “improper paymеnts” during the last fiscal year under the Biden administration.
A report from the Govеrnment Accountability Officе (GAO) revеaled those 14 agencies collectively reported $236 billion in messed-up payments during fiscal 2023. GAO defined “improper payments” as those that should not have been made or were made in the wrong amount.
According to the agencies, over $175 billion, or over 74 % of the total was due to overpayments. Although this total marked an $11 billion decrease from fiscal 2022, GAO’s graphics displayed a consistent increase in improper payments over the past two decades.
As per GAO, the amassed amount has reached a staggering $2.7 trillion since fiscal 2003, which indicates a persistent issue across government agencies.
However, GAO warned that the $236 billion estimate for fiscal 2023 is just an approximation and does not cover some programs deemed prone to agency payment mismanagement.
GAO listed the Hеalth and Human Services Department’s Temporary Assistance for Nееd Families program as an example.
Moreover, a deep analysis revealed that problematic spending was particularly concentrated in five program areas: Medicare, Medicaid, Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Earned Income Tax Credit, and Paycheck Protection Program Loan Forgiveness.
Likewise, Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) evaluated the estimated $236 billion figure for fiscal 2023 and criticized the Biden administration for lack of accountability.
Despite providing a draft of its report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review, GAO noted that OMB did not offer any comments.
GAO also highlighted that in fiscal 2022, the Chief Financial Officers Act of 1990 covered 14 out of 24 agencies that complied with applicable improper payment criteria. This marked an improvement from 2021 when only ten agencies were compliant.
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