Waste, Fraud & Abuse

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.

What Would a GOP Takeover of the House Mean for the Oversight Committee? 

The chair-in-waiting for the once “sleepy” committee would like to investigate COVID-19’s origins, the Biden administration’s border policies and the president’s family members. 

GovExec Daily: Did SBA Bungle the Review of PPP Loans?

The Project on Government Oversight's Nick Schwellenbach joins the podcast to discuss the Paycheck Protection Program.

Gucci Bags, Crypto and Vegas Vacations: COVID Relief Scams Land Public Employees in Legal Trouble

Former Rhea County Executive is headed to federal prison; DOJ rounds up five Memphis IRS employees

COVID Oversight Officials Request More Time and Money to Ferret Out Fraud

Democrats allege more mismanagement of pandemic funds by the Trump administration.

GovExec Daily: The Lawyer, the Whistleblowers and $550M in Social Security Fraud

Damian Paletta, Brian Lazarte and James Lee Hernandez from "The Big Conn" join the podcast to discuss the story of the slow pace of government investigations, the people affected and the man at the center of a huge fraud case at SSA.

Unemployment Insurance Has Been Added to GAO's 'High Risk' List

The government watchdog says more than $78 billion in improper unemployment insurance payments were made in fiscal year 2021, and cited fraud, poor customer service, inequitable access, legacy tech and staffing shortages as key drivers of failure.