Rep. Hinson Questions Treasury Secretary on Protecting Taxpayer Money from Waste and Fraud

Protecting Taxpayer Funds

• 💡 The GAO estimates the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud, a number described as alarming and wasteful.
• 🎯 President Trump signed Executive Order 14249 to protect America's bank account against waste, fraud, and abuse.
• 🔑 Rep. Hinson introduced legislation, the Protecting American Taxpayers from Wasteful Spending Act, to codify this effort.

Treasury's Role in Preventing Improper Payments

• 📌 The Treasury Department is directed by the executive order to establish pre-certification and pre-award procedures to prevent fraud.
• ⚠️ A significant issue discovered at Treasury was that over one-third of the 1.5 billion payments sent annually lacked a Treasury Account Symbol (TAS), hindering accountability and auditability.
• ✅ Every payment now requires a TAS number, a simple fix that has energized mid-level employees who feel they can now make a difference.

Addressing Complacency and Improving Efficiency

• 🧠 The lack of these procedures is attributed to a complacent upper management across many government departments.
• 🚀 The implementation of TAS numbers is seen not only as fixing a complacency issue but also as a morale booster for employees.
• 💰 Efforts are also underway to move more payments to electronic formats to protect integrity and cut costs, reducing the risk of stolen checks.

Recovering Improper Payments

• 📈 The Treasury Department has successfully clawed back tens of millions of dollars in improper payments for taxpayers.