Coronavirus Roundup: COVID Fraud Prosecutor Announced; IRS Hiring 10,000 New Employees for Pandemic-Induced Backlog
There's a lot to keep track of. Here’s today’s list of news updates and stories you may have missed.
The Justice Department announced on Thursday that Associate Deputy Attorney General Kevin Chambers will serve as director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement, which President Biden said during his State of the Union would be happening. “Chambers will lead Justice Department efforts that to date have resulted in criminal charges against over 1,000 defendants with alleged losses exceeding $1.1 billion; the seizure of over $1 billion in economic injury disaster loan proceeds; and over 240 civil investigations into more than 1,800 individuals and entities for alleged misconduct in connection with pandemic relief loans totaling more than $6 billion,” said a press release.
The Transportation Security Administration announced on Thursday it has extended its mask mandate one month, until April 18. This was at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “During that time, CDC will work with government agencies to help inform a revised policy framework for when, and under what circumstances, masks should be required in the public transportation corridor,” said a press release. “This revised framework will be based on the COVID-19 community levels, risk of new variants, national data, and the latest science. We will communicate any updates publicly if and/or when they change.”
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service announced on Thursday an “aggressive plan” to end the IRS’s pandemic-induced backlog, which has personnel, taxpayer assistance and technology considerations. Specifically, the IRS is working to hire 10,000 new employees and shift about 700 employees at the Austin, Ogden, and Kansas City campuses to process original returns with the goal of filling 5,000 open positions in the next few months and “working with Treasury, the Office of Personnel Management, and the National Treasury Employees Union, the IRS recently secured direct hiring authority for these employees, as well as an additional 5,000 new hires to be made over the course of the next year,” said the announcement.
Regarding the COVID-19 supplement stripped from the omnibus for fiscal 2022, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said “we need this money” during the briefing on Thursday. “Without additional resources from Congress, the results are dire,” she said. “In March, testing capacity will decline… In April, free testing and treatments for tens of millions of Americans without health insurance will end. In May, America's supply of monoclonal antibodies will run out.”
The Defense Department asked the Supreme Court on Monday to block a lower court’s ruling that bans the Navy from restricting Navy SEALs’ deployments who don’t get the vaccine, NBC News reported. “A federal judge in Texas ruled in early January that the Navy must allow members of the elite special operations community to opt out of the vaccine requirement if they have religious objections,” said the report. “His order also forbids their commanders from making any changes to their military assignments based on their refusal to be vaccinated. It’s the second part of the order that Austin asked the Supreme Court to block.”
Starting on Friday, the Smithsonian won’t require visitors to wear masks in their museums or the National Zoo. The Smithsonian is also starting to gradually open museums for more days per week, starting with the National Museum of Natural History and the National Zoo on Monday.
A man in Georgia was sentenced to federal prison after admitting he lied to obtain a COVID-19 disaster relief loan, then used a large portion of the funds to buy a Pokémon trading card. “COVID-19 disaster relief loans are issued by the government to help businesses struggling to survive during a pandemic, not to use for trivial collectible items,” said Philip Wislar, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta, in a statement on Monday. “This sentence highlights the FBI’s commitment to aggressively pursue anyone who would abuse taxpayer dollars and divert them from citizens who desperately need them.” The Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General and an investigator from the U.S. Attorney’s Office were also involved in the investigation.
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