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WASHINGTON — Utah Rep. Blake Moore has introduced legislation he says will cut down on government waste by enhancing reporting requirements for new federal spending programs and require more congressional oversight of federal agencies.
The Republican congressman is one of the sponsors of HR8343, or the Enhancing Improper Payment Accountability Act, which is meant to reduce the amount the federal government pays in improper payments, or "payments that should not have been made or were made in the incorrect amount," according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
"Over the last 20 years, the federal government has made $2.7 trillion in improper payments. Mishandling taxpayer dollars with little oversight is big government at its worst," Moore stated in a press release. "That is why I am pleased to introduce the Enhancing Improper Payment Accountability Act as part of the House Budget Committee's package to tackle improper payments. This legislation will enact more reporting requirements for new federal spending programs, improving our ability to detect and prevent improper payments and more responsibly steward our federal resources. There are plenty of messaging bills in Congress, but this bill is squarely focused on addressing a major issue within our spending crisis."
The federal government has made a total of $2.7 trillion in improper payments since 2003, according to the Government Accountability Office. In 2023, Medicare and Medicaid were the federal programs with the most improper payments, with $51.1 billion and $50.3 billion improperly spent, according to a report from the agency.
Pandemic unemployment assistance accounted for $43.6 billion, followed by the earned income tax credit with $21.9 billion and Paycheck Protection Program loan forgiveness with $18.7 billion.
All told, the agency estimates $236 billion in improper payments was sent out last year.
Moore's proposal aims to reduce that number by designating all new federal spending programs with more than $100 million in annual payments as "susceptible to significant improper payments" and strengthening the requirements that they report such payments. It would also require agencies to report to Congress about their risk management strategies and require the White House to disclose information about agencies that are not following the reporting guidelines.
A press release from Moore's office said the legislation would codify recommendations already in place from the Government Accountability Office, which "would reinforce the role of Congress and federal agencies in reducing the occurrence of improper payments."
The proposal already has bipartisan support in the House, with Rep. Abigail Spanberger, D-Virginia, serving as sponsor alongside Moore.
"Improper payments and fraud not only hurt American taxpayers — but also hurt the members of our communities who federal programs are created to assist and diminish public trust in the federal government's role managing taxpayer dollars," she said.
