| Washington, D.C. (March 25, 2021) — Today, Rep. James E. Clyburn, Chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, delivered the following remarks at the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) and the Partnership for Public Service's virtual forum reflecting on one year since the passage of the CARES Act and oversight of America's pandemic response: 
Watch Chairman Clyburn's Remarks Transcript: Thank you very much for inviting me to participate in this event. It has been one year since Congress created the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, or PRAC, in the CARES Act, and charged it with promoting transparency and oversight of the trillions of dollars allocated to respond to this national emergency. Shortly thereafter, the House established the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis—of which I have the honor of serving as Chair. Modeled after the Truman Committee that was created during World War II, our mission is to conduct a full and complete investigation of issues related to the pandemic. Since our creation, the Select Subcommittee has been singularly focused on ensuring that our response to this pandemic is effective, efficient, and equitable. The Select Subcommittee could not have been successful without the invaluable contributions of the PRAC and the Inspectors General community. Over the past year, the Select Subcommittee has referred multiple matters to inspectors general. Earlier this month, the SBA IG completed its review of duplicate PPP loans as requested by the Subcommittee, and published a report that confirmed and expanded on the Subcommittee's previous findings that billions of dollars in PPP loans insured by the prior Administration may have been diverted to fraud, waste, and abuse. This afternoon, we will be holding a hearing to examine efforts to root out these and other instances of potential fraud in small business lending programs. The American people deserve to know how their taxpayer dollars are being spent, and whether their government is doing all it can to protect them from the coronavirus pandemic. Oversight from Congress and from the IG community is essential to that effort. That is why I'm encouraged by the Biden-Harris Administration's pledge to support the IG community and protect their independence. And thanks to aggressive action by this Administration to ramp up vaccines, and Congress's historic enactment of the American Rescue Plan, the post-pandemic future is in sight. Thank you for your continued work. Together we will help our country emerge stronger from this crisis. | 
