Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) has joined with Republican members of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) to establish a task force focused on eliminating fraud in federal spending. The initiative is intended to protect taxpayers and ensure that federal funding achieves its intended purpose.
The move follows recent calls by Husted and the full Senate Republican Conference for greater accountability from outgoing Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after reports surfaced of extensive fraud and abuse involving federal child care funding in Minnesota.
Husted will co-chair the Education subcommittee task force alongside Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.). In a statement, Husted said, “Americans want the next generation to have the knowledge and skills to succeed, and when they invest in education, they should be confident those dollars are accomplishing just that. Fraud of any kind decreases confidence in our systems, and it’s our job to find bad actors and hold them accountable. I’m proud to join Sen. Tuberville in leading this work.”
HELP Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy added, “Our tax dollars are supposed to help American families, not line the pockets of fraudsters. HELP Committee Republicans are committed to rooting out this fraud and ensuring Americans’ tax dollars are used responsibly.”
Tuberville also commented on the issue: “A little more than a year ago, the American people overwhelmingly voted for President Trump’s agenda to cut out waste, fraud, and abuse from our government. After losing more than 19 BILLION American taxpayer dollars under Tim Walz’s watch to fake Somalian daycares, it’s evident that there’s still work to be done. We must aggressively tackle this issue from all sides to ensure corrupt politicians never misuse Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars again. As Chairman of the HELP Subcommittee on Children and the American Family, I’m proud to co-lead this task force alongside Sen. Husted to make sure every cent allocated for American education reaches its intended purpose.”
Other committee members will lead anti-fraud efforts within their respective areas: Senators Ashley Moody (R-Fla.) and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) will serve as Health subcommittee co-chairs; Senators Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.) will serve as Labor & Pensions subcommittee co-chairs.
The committee has introduced an online portal for individuals who wish to report suspected fraud involving taxpayer funds.
