Beth Van Duyne: “I have a motion to recommit, and my amendment affirms this Chamber's commitment to being a proper steward of taxpayer…”

“I have a motion to recommit, and my amendment affirms this Chamber's commitment to being a proper steward of taxpayer dollars and ensuring the integrity of SBA's programs. Over 2 years ago, Congress enacted and activated numerous relief programs to rescue the American economy from the COVID-19 State and local shutdown orders that devastated small businesses across the country. Speed was of the essence, and Congress focused on getting dollars out quickly before parts of the economy collapsed. However, criminal behavior took hold as many illegal applicants entered programs and scammed others to take advantage of this relief. According to the SBA inspector general's estimates, over $80 billion of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program payments and $4.6 billion of the Paycheck Protection Program are potentially fraudulent. These are American taxpayer dollars that are on the line, and they are being misused and stolen. We must do everything in Congress' power to stop this illegal behavior and ensure that the fraudsters are brought to justice. Our oversight capabilities must be reinforced and strengthened. As the ranking member of the Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations Subcommittee of the Committee on Small Business, I stand ready to ensure that these programs are adequately built to deter this fraudulent behavior. However, we must also ensure that law enforcement has the tools at their disposal and enough time to complete the job.…”