Oversight

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.

Oversight

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.

Tech

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.

Management

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. 

Oversight

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.

Oversight

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.

Oversight

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.

Oversight

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.

Management

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.

Oversight

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. 

Management

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.

Oversight

Fixing The Fraud Problem is Going to be a Heavy Lift

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

Oversight

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.

Oversight

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

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

Oversight

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."

Management

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.

Oversight

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. 

Oversight

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.