CRACKDOWN ON WASTE, ABUSE, AND FRAUD

CRACKDOWN ON WASTE, ABUSE, AND FRAUD

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 57 (Thursday, March 26, 2026)] [House] [Page H2753] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] CRACKDOWN ON WASTE, ABUSE, AND FRAUD (Mr. MEUSER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.) Mr. MEUSER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as Republicans in Congress and the Trump administration take decisive action to crack down on waste, abuse, and fraud. According to Secretary Bessent, 10 percent of the Federal budget is lost to fraud each year, and according to Dr. Oz and CMS, perhaps as much as 20 percent is scammed there. As chairman of the Committee on Financial Services' Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, our work uncovered how poor agency management, outdated IT systems, and officials perhaps looking the other way allowed criminals to exploit Federal programs under the Biden administration. Extensive fraud in Minneapolis and L.A. are glaring examples. We are coordinating with HUD Secretary Scott Turner as we correct years of mismanagement at public housing agencies. At our recent field hearing in Little Rock with Chairman French Hill, we heard testimony showing that serious fraud was ignored by the prior administration for years. The President's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President Vance, is a critical step towards restoring accountability. I plan to work with the task force to protect taxpayers and work to drain the swamp. ____________________