Follow the Money: Tackling Improper Payments

Chairman Gerry E. Connolly's Opening Statement [PDF]

On Thursday, March 31, 2022, at 9:30 a.m. ET, Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Government Operations, will hold a hybrid hearing to examine the recent growth in agency improper payments and identify ways the federal government can tackle fraud, waste, and abuse in government programs without putting undue burden on the individuals and small businesses who rely on them.

Improper payments, which include any payment made by the government in the incorrect amount or to the wrong person, have been increasing rapidly over the past several years, reaching $281 billion in Fiscal Year 2021.  Improper payments can be a sign of fraud, waste, and abuse.  They can also include things like underpayments made to Medicaid and Medicare recipients and overpayments made to government contractors.

While there have been many legislative efforts to prevent improper payments, they have not successfully solved the problem.  The federal government must evolve its approach to mitigate fraud, waste, and abuse, while improving the delivery of and access to critical federal services.  Congress is tasked with being good stewards of taxpayer dollars and by addressing improper payments, lawmakers can help restore public trust in the government.

This hearing will examine strategies the federal government can adopt to better address improper payments, including increasing the use of modern IT practices like automation and data sharing to proactively prevent improper payments before they happen, and balancing the federal government’s mandate to reduce improper payments and deliver government services that all qualifying people and businesses can access.