Biden’s EPA lost track of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds. A recent check on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uncovered a significant problem – they didn’t report $7 billion in spending during the 2022 fiscal year. This discovery came from an audit conducted by the EPA Office of the Inspector General (OIG).
The audit found that the EPA didn’t accurately report where $7 billion of taxpayer money went. The money in question was part of awards and obligations, which means it was meant for specific projects or programs.
The OIG’s review revealed that the EPA made mistakes in reporting its spending. They missed the mark by underreporting award-level outlays (money spent) by a whopping $5.8 billion, which is nearly 100%.
Additionally, award-level obligations (commitments to spend money) were underreported by $1.2 billion, around 13%. This reporting error extended to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act outlays and didn’t fully account for spending related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The consequences of these reporting inaccuracies are significant. The OIG pointed out that because of these mistakes, taxpayers initially received incorrect information about how the EPA spent their money. This not only misinforms the public but also makes it challenging for policymakers – those who make decisions about government spending – to track and understand federal expenditures accurately.
In response to the audit, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, expressed strong disapproval of the EPA. She called the situation “outrageous and unacceptable” because it shows that the EPA struggles to keep track of its spending and inform Congress and the public about how taxpayer dollars are being used.
She emphasized the need for more transparency at the EPA and raised concerns about whether the agency is trying to hide the amount of taxpayer money spent on certain agendas.
The EPA admitted to the oversight and corrected its figures in May 2023 as a result of the OIG’s findings. The Inspector General made five recommendations for the EPA to improve its reporting accuracy, and the agency agreed to implement them.
This revelation comes at a time when the EPA is handling a large green energy fund and requesting a bigger budget. The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, created by the Inflation Reduction Act, allocates $27 billion for green projects nationwide. At the same time, the White House is seeking approval for a record-level EPA budget exceeding $12 billion. However, Republicans are advocating for a reduced budget of around $6 billion.
Critics, including Mandy Gunasekara, a former EPA chief of staff, argue that the EPA under the Biden administration is using taxpayer dollars to fund left-wing groups. Gunasekara sees this oversight as a serious issue, reflecting the administration’s prioritization of political goals over the needs of the American people.
In response to the audit, the EPA welcomed the Inspector General’s oversight and appreciated the recommendations. The agency asserted that it correctly accounted for the fiscal year 2022 funding and blamed the issue on data transmission errors to USASpending.gov, stating that these errors have been fixed. The EPA believes it is now on the right track regarding spending transparency.
