GOP Rep. Wenstrup: We Should Go after Hundreds of Billions in COVID Relief Fraud, Not Increased IRS Audits

On Friday’s broadcast of the Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria,” Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-OH) said that if Congress is interested in trying to increase the amount of money in the federal treasury, it should do more work on getting back the unemployment relief money obtained through fraud during the coronavirus pandemic, which is estimated to be between $100 billion and $400 billion instead of increasing audits on non-wealthy taxpayers through the Inflation Reduction Act.

Wenstrup said, “[Y]ou know what’s really interesting too, in all of this, you’re trying to recoup money, how about all the fraud that has taken place from the unemployment insurance, the unemployment benefits that went out during COVID? It’s estimated $400 billion, and you know, when we were having the mark-up on Ways and Means for Build Back Better, after an amendment to go after fraud, the Democrats voted it down. They voted it down. Most of this is foreign anyway and we should be actually going after all of that. … Nothing has happened there.”

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett

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