Congressman Biggs’s TRUE Accountability Act Unanimously Passes House

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, in a unanimous vote, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 8466, the Taxpayers Resources Used in Emergencies (TRUE) Accountability Act, sponsored by Congressman Andy Biggs (AZ-05). This bill requires agencies to develop plans to prevent fraud during an emergency or crisis. Congressman Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10) was a co-lead for the bill.

HR 8466 stipulates that two U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports - A Framework for Managing Improper Payments in Emergency Assistance Programs and A Framework for Managing Fraud Risks in 20 Federal Programs - be incorporated into agency plans so they have a proven, data-driven framework for preventing fraud. GAO estimates that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud. In 2020-2023 alone, GAO estimates that over $300 billion in fraud occurred across COVID-19 relief government programs, and that 19 different pandemic relief programs were targeted and defrauded as of 2024.

"For decades, fraud has run rampant in bloated government programs,"said Congressman Biggs."American taxpayers work extremely hard for their money, and they deserve to know that government agencies are committed to wisely stewarding their dollars - not allowing the funds to be stolen by fraudulent entities, especially in times of emergency or crisis. This is an issue that Members of both parties can support, and I am grateful for Congressman Subramanyam's partnership and today's unanimous passage by the U.S. House of Representatives. It's time to send a message to American taxpayers that their government officials are serious about safeguarding their dollars."

The U.S. Senate companion to HR 8466 is S. 78, sponsored by Senator James Lankford (R-OK).

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