In response to the misguided lockdowns that were imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress approved trillions of dollars in funding to programs intended to protect American jobs and stabilize our economy. Many of these programs did help save jobs, businesses, and families from financial ruin, but others were carried on for too long by the Biden Administration and as a result were rife with waste, fraud, and abuse.
The Government Accountability Office estimates that fraud accounted for 11% to 15% of unemployment insurance benefits paid during the pandemic, allowing for a staggering $100 billion to $135 billion in taxpayer money to be stolen. From April 2021 to April 2024 alone, 23 states reported $60.4 billion in unemployment insurance fraud. In response, the Department of Justice (DOJ) is actively investigating over 1,600 open cases of pandemic-related unemployment fraud, including recent charges against five individuals who stole over $3.3 million.
The DOJ and Department of Labor have told Congress that due to the scope of the fraud, they will not be able to address every case of abuse before the statute of limitations runs out, meaning that some people will have successfully stolen your tax dollars because of a loophole in current law.
To stop this and ensure these people are brought to justice, the House passed The Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act this week. This bill will extend the prosecution window from five to ten years, providing federal agencies with the necessary time to investigate the fraud, recover stolen funds, and hold perpetrators accountable.
I proudly supported this bipartisan legislation, which passed the House by a vote of 295-127. The Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act marks a crucial step toward holding fraudsters accountable and ensuring stronger protections for taxpayer dollars in future relief programs.
