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A FEDERAL WATCHDOG FOR CORONAVIRUS AID WARNS CONGRESS IT IS NEARLY OUT OF MONEY

By Tony Romm Washington Post,Updated January 28, 2022, 3:38 p.m.
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Brian Miller, left, and Dana Wade testified before a Senate panel in May 2020 in
Washington, D.C.Alex Wong/Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog overseeing billions of dollars in coronavirus
aid told lawmakers late Thursday that it is now facing a “terminal budget
crisis,” as its fast-dwindling funds in the face of congressional inaction
threaten to shutter the office as soon as this summer.

The warning arrived from the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, an
oversight body chartered by Congress in 2020 to oversee a portion of the
country’s first major stimulus package. The leader of the office, Brian D.
Miller, stressed that its coffers are at risk of running dry unless Democrats
and Republicans fill them swiftly as part of an upcoming debate over government
funding levels.

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Under the earlier stimulus law, known as the Cares Act, Congress set aside $25
million. The initial start-up investment allowed Miller to hire staff, bulk up
on technical capabilities, and set about scrutinizing early-pandemic
initiatives, including the Main Street Lending Program, an effort by the Federal
Reserve to sustain cash-starved small- and medium-size businesses as well as
nonprofits.

Aides to the watchdog say they now have opened more than two dozen cases, as
they keep guard over a total of $22.5 billion in outstanding loans and other
stimulus assistance. Their efforts helped lead to an enforcement effort
announced last week, after a woman in Oklahoma pleaded guilty to federal charges
of fraud. But the special inspector general said that its initial $25 million
allocation still “is not enough money” to sustain its current level of
operations, especially since it has a five-year mandate for oversight.



Without another infusion of funds, the office could run out of cash by July
2022, Miller wrote in a series of letters to lawmakers, one of which was
obtained by The Washington Post late Thursday. Even before that deadline, he
wrote, the office may have to wind down some of its operations under federal law
as soon as March. And already, Miller froze planned hiring and halted expansions
pending a resolution on Capitol Hill.

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“The covid-19 pandemic is not over, and Congress’s unprecedented investment in
the American economy has been prey to unprecedented levels of crime and fraud,”
Miller wrote, later adding: “Without such funding, for the first time in
history, an inspector general office will close prematurely for want of
funding.”

The letters underscore the vast and expensive task facing the US government as
it tries to keep watch over roughly $6 trillion in federal stimulus approved
since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. The money helped revive an economy
in the throes of a deep recession, yet it also has tempted criminals and
fraudsters, putting unprecedented pressure on federal watchdogs to ensure the
quickly disbursed sums land in the hands of those who need it most.

The task has fallen to a slew of committees on Capitol Hill, a wide array of
inspectors general scattered across government, and other oversight agencies,
including the Government Accountability Office.

At times, though, some of the efforts have generated controversy. Last spring,
the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, in particular, tangled with
the Justice Department over the scope of its jurisdiction. Top Biden
administration officials ultimately determined that Miller, who was appointed
during the Trump administration, only had purview over a small slice of the
Cares Act and not the broader tranche of funds allotted to the Treasury
Department.

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The oversight office criticized the decision at the time, arguing the
limitations threatened to “diminish the oversight over government funds in the
hundreds of billions of dollars.” Months later, the special inspector general
for pandemic recovery said in a separate letter to Congress that the decision
forced it to “terminate and transfer multiple audits and investigations.”

The funding debacle arrives amid an already pitched congressional battle over
the future of federal spending, just weeks before an existing agreement is set
to expire. Democrats and Republicans have less than a month to broker a new
deal, otherwise the government is set to shut down after Feb. 18.

In recent months, lawmakers have pushed the country nearly to the brink,
narrowly avoiding a shutdown by adopting short-term measures that mostly sustain
existing federal programs at their current levels. This time, though, top House
and Senate appropriators are hoping to strike a deal that could fund Washington
operations until the end of the fiscal year, which concludes in September. The
two sides have insisted in recent weeks they are making progress toward such a
resolution, which could open the door for a series of domestic spending
increases previously proposed by President Biden.

As part of his 2022 fiscal year blueprint, Biden proposed to augment the funding
for the special inspector general for pandemic recovery, providing it with
another $25 million. “This funding is critical in ensuring that SIGPR’s audit
and investigative services have the necessary resources to protect the integrity
of CARES Act funds,” the president’s budget proposal specified at the time.

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Senate Democrats soon after pursued a $10 million appropriation of their own,
though the politically deadlocked chamber failed to move any of its spending
bills. Instead, lawmakers enacted a series of short-term stopgaps, which
ultimately meant that the office never actually received any additional money.

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Dan Shaughnessy

FRED LYNN IS CORRECT — MAKE THE HITTERS BEAT THE SHIFTS — AND OTHER THOUGHTS

In response to calls to ban defensive shifts, the Red Sox great says, “The onus
is on the hitter. It really is. Learn how to hit off-speed stuff the other way.
Bunt.”

RI CRIME

FORMER REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOUND WITH MORE THAN 200 GUNS AFTER NEIGHBORS
COMPLAIN OF GUNSHOTS COMING FROM HIS HOME

Ronald Armand Andruchuck, who ran unsuccessfully for a House District 14 seat in
2018, was armed, wearing a bulletproof vest, and appeared to be under the
influence of drugs when police arrived at his house in Burrillville, R.I.

THE FINE PRINT

IN SHIFT, INSURANCE COMPANY NOW SAYS WAREHAM COUPLE IS COVERED FOR OIL LEAK

Narragansett Bay Insurance Company had informed the couple that coverage for a
leak apparently caused by corrosion in the tank was excluded from their policy.
Now, it says it will “extend” them coverage.


PSSST! HERE ARE SOME FAVORITE HIKING SPOTS IN GREATER BOSTON

From Crane Beach in Ipswich to World’s End in Hingham, Greater Boston is filled
with enticing trails. Local experts shared some of their favorites.


CHINA CAUGHT IN BIND OVER RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

As Russian troops have poured into Ukraine, officials in Beijing have fumed at
any suggestion that they are betraying a core principle of Chinese foreign
policy — that sovereignty is sacrosanct — in order to shield Moscow.


OFFICIALS ASKED HARMONY MONTGOMERY’S FAMILY FOR YEARS ABOUT HER DISAPPEARANCE,
BUT DID LITTLE TO FOLLOW UP, REPORT SAYS

Each time officials inquired about Harmony, the girl’s father insisted that his
daughter had been returned to her mother, according to a new report.


PRESIDENT BIDEN’S PICK OF KETANJI BROWN JACKSON COULD MAKE SUPREME COURT HISTORY

Biden’s announcement Friday upheld his campaign promise to nominate a Black
woman to a court that has had only two other Black justices and only five women
in its 232-year history.


AS RUSSIAN TROOPS PUSH TOWARD KYIV, UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOWS MILITARY WILL
‘PROTECT THE COUNTRY’

Russian troops pressed toward Ukraine’s capital Saturday after a night of
explosions and street fighting sent Kyiv residents seeking shelter underground.
The country’s leader refused an American offer to evacuate, insisting he would
stay.


MANY HEALTHY AMERICANS CAN TAKE A BREAK FROM MASKS, CDC SAYS

According to the new guidelines, every county in Massachusetts is considered a
low or medium COVID-19 level, meaning all residents can drop their masks.


MOST READ IN THIS SECTION

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MANY HEALTHY AMERICANS CAN TAKE A BREAK FROM MASKS, CDC SAYS



WHERE SHOULD YOU WEAR A MASK INDOORS? THIS MAP SHOWS THE COVID-19 LEVEL IN EACH
MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY, ACCORDING TO THE CDC’S NEW SYSTEM.

TRAYVON MARTIN’S BLACK LIFE MATTERED



REPUBLICAN SENATOR INHOFE TO RETIRE AT YEAR’S END



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1,329 CONFIRMED CASES AND 29 DEATHS. SEE TODAY’S COVID-19 DATA REPORT FROM MASS.


Analysis

WHAT TO WATCH NEXT WITH THE KETANJI BROWN JACKSON NOMINATION — INCLUDING A GOP
MOVE THAT WOULD CAUSE HAVOC



TODAY IN HISTORY


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