Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State-Administered Programs Act

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 8107) to require the establishment of a list identifying program areas and administrative practices presenting the greatest risk to the integrity of Federal funds administered by States and local governments, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on this measure.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 8107, the Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State-Administered Programs Act.

The reforms of H.R. 8107 represent a long-overdue step to ensure that Congress is fully informed about fraud risks in Federal programs administered at the State level.

This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to assess program areas and administrative practices that present the greatest risk to the integrity of federally funded programs administered by States and local governments.

This assessment will bring together the typical program-specific assessments to help Congress and other officials better identify common risks. With this information, Congress can bolster its oversight of agencies' and States' efforts to efficiently mitigate fraud risks, including through payment integrity controls.

This legislation will better position Congress to assist Federal agencies and State and local governments to obtain the fraud prevention and investigative resources that they require.

I thank my Oversight and Government Reform Committee colleagues Congressmen Ro Khanna and Tim Burchett for championing this helpful legislation that will help lawmakers understand State-level program risks and inform future fraud prevention reforms.

Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan and commonsense bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the great gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Burchett).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, approximately $1.1 trillion of taxpayer dollars are administered annually by State and local governments with little to no comprehensive and recurring oversight from the Federal Government or Congress.

H.R. 8107 would require the Government Accountability Office to study the specific risks associated with federally funded State-administered programs and enable Congress to track emerging fraud patterns before they become billion-dollar scandals.

Mr. Speaker, I, therefore, encourage my colleagues to support the Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State- Administered Programs Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate your abilities at short stop, as well.

I thank Mr. Ro Khanna for his kind words. I have never heard the words ``extraordinary leadership'' attached to the named Tim Burchett before, and I thank the gentleman for that. I thank the gentleman also for including me in this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I rise, of course, in support of the bipartisan Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State- Administered Programs Act.

This bill directs the Comptroller General, or our good friends at the Government Accountability Office, to produce recurring assessments of federally funded State-administered programs.

This report will compare trends across States and identify programs and administrative practices most vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse in State and local administration of Federal funds.

Every year, approximately $1.1 trillion of taxpayer dollars are administered by State and local governments. The money is administered with little or no oversight from the Federal Government.

How many times have we heard that we need to audit those folks? This does just that. By requiring the GAO to monitor and report on trends across States, we will begin to see which administrative practices are most vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse.

Recently, I have seen fraud run rampant at all levels of government. It is time that we mandate oversight so that the American people know where their taxpayer dollars are going.

Mr. Speaker, we have an obligation to our constituents to protect their hard-earned money. We have an obligation to make sure that government is working for the people. We have an obligation to actually do something, dadgummit, to rid government of waste, fraud, and abuse. It starts today with voting ``yes'' on this bill.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend Representative Ro Khanna for his support in rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse, and I urge my colleagues to pass this bipartisan piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the House taking up the Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State-Administered Programs Act. It is a long way of saying that this is a bill to go after fraud.

I thank Congressman Tim Burchett for his partnership on this bipartisan legislation. I also thank Chairman Comer; Ranking Member Garcia; Congressman Gill; Congressman Subramanyam; my staff lead, Selene Ceja; and Kevin Fox, my legislative director, for their help in advancing this effort.

The bill is straightforward. It directs the Government Accountability Office to conduct an independent review of Federal programs that States administer on behalf of working families.

Congress has a responsibility to ensure that every tax dollar reaches the people and communities these programs are intended to serve. To do that, we need facts, data, and evidence.

The legislation helps us better understand how these programs operate across States where vulnerabilities may exist, what practices are working, and what improvements Congress should consider to stop fraud.

At its core, the bill is about prevention, accountability, and good governance. By directing the GAO to identify effective tools, technical assistance, and proven practices, we can help States strengthen program administration before problems occur, and it applies to all 50 States, so there is no politics in it.

The families who rely on these programs deserve services that are efficient, reliable, accessible, and protected.

Tackling fraud is not a partisan issue. Congress needs to continue bipartisan, evidence-based efforts to better understand how Federal funds flow through State-administered programs and how we can strengthen those systems.

I recognize Congressman Tim Burchett for his extraordinary leadership and partnership here. This bill gives us the information we need to make informed decisions and strengthen the public trust.

Mr. Speaker, I also rise in support of H.R. 8107, the Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State- Administered Programs Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Khanna).

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, this bill is an important step toward preventing fraud and improper payments before they happen. I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.