January 29,2010

Grassley seeks accounting of tax dollars spent for economic stimulus

WASHINGTON --- Senator Chuck Grassley has asked the Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget a series of questions about expenditures under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or the economic stimulus bill, passed nearly a year ago.

“When the government spends so much money and awards grants, loans and contracts in a short period of time like this, the potential for fraud, waste and abuse goes up. Taxpayers deserve to know that every effort is being made to account for these expenditures. The federal bureaucracy needs to answer questions and be transparent about what’s happening with the tax dollars it’s distributing through this program.”

Grassley said recent reports from the inspectors general for the departments of Education and Transportation indicate serious internal accounting deficiencies and raise additional concerns about the ability of the bureaucracy to prevent fraud, waste and abuse in spending.

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