Waste, Fraud & Abuse

Social Security overpayments draw scrutiny and outrage from members of Congress

SSA recovered $4.7 billion of overpayments during the 2022 fiscal year but ended that year with $21.6 billion of overpayments still uncollected, according to a November 2022 report by department’s inspector general.

Pandemic unemployment fraud as high as $135B, watchdog says

The Government Accountability Office's new estimate underscores the urgency of modernizing state-based unemployment insurance systems.

Want to track pandemic relief spending? Data problems make that difficult, committee says

“These challenges limit the degree of transparency into the use of pandemic relief funds,” a new report from the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee says.

How some agencies used tech to decrease improper payments

Governmentwide, improper payments are up relative to fiscal year 2020. But digital tools — alongside other management tactics — enabled some agencies to find reductions.

New Report Identifies Over $100B in Potential Government Services Savings

The government’s overlapping, fragmented and duplicative services are costing billions of dollars annually, a Government Accountability Office report claims. 

ATF Misclassified Jobs. A Senator Wants the Justice Department to Dig Deeper.

Citing concerns by the whistleblowers who triggered the investigation that found that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives had systematically misclassified administrative jobs as law enforcement-related, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, asked the Justice Department to do a more thorough investigation.

Trump’s Global Media CEO Abused Authority and Wasted Funds, Review Finds

New agency leadership has been working to restore the agency’s operations and make corrective reforms.

The Wheels that Squeak: Why Preventing Fraud is Not a Government Priority

Agency leaders need more institutional incentives to manage fraud, waste, and abuse in their programs systemically, argues one former member of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.

OSC: ATF Wasted At Least $10 Million Misclassifying Administrative Jobs as Law Enforcement

Although OPM and ATF investigations found around 100 positions within the agency’s HR department were improperly provided enhanced law enforcement pay and benefits, the whistleblowers who prompted the probe said the problem is more widespread than that.

Coronavirus Roundup: A Spotlight on Improper Payments in COVID Relief Programs

There’s a lot to keep track of. Here’s a list of this week’s news updates and stories you may have missed.

President Biden Issues a Sweeping Anti-COVID Fraud Proposal

One piece would be to give law enforcement and oversight agencies more time and resources to go after fraudsters. 

How do You Oversee Money That's Hard to Track?

The Project on Government Oversight's Dylan Hedtler-Gaudette joins the podcast to discuss how to minimize fraud in government spending.

Fixing The Fraud Problem is Going to be a Heavy Lift

Natalie Alms joins the podcast to discuss two new GAO reports.

GAO Pegs Unemployment Insurance Fraud Tally at More Than $60 billion

At the same time, the congressional watchdog cautioned that governmentwide fraud estimates are potentially dicey.

GovExec Daily: Is the Pandemic Over? This Year in COVID-19

Courtney Bublé joins the podcast to discuss how coronavirus shaped 2022.

Republicans Say They'll Go Back to the Basics With Oversight Priorities

The new chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee says it will return "to its primary duty to root out waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in the federal government."

The Latest Improper Payment Numbers Are Here, But What Do They Mean?

The Office of Management and Budget published its annual governmentwide report on improper payments, but a fraud expert says they aren’t entirely reliable.