Memphis Standard

U.S. Senators Marsha Blackburn and Joni Ernst have introduced the Complete COVID Collections Act, a bill aimed at extending the authority of the watchdog responsible for tracking down individuals who fraudulently obtained COVID relief funds intended for small businesses.

"During the pandemic, small business owners in need of financial assistance were turned away because criminals, gang members, and drug traffickers stole money from the relief program," stated Senator Blackburn. She emphasized that the legislation seeks to recover misallocated funds from those who exploited the system.

Senator Ernst expressed her determination to address this issue: "I will not allow fraudsters to get away with stealing hundreds of billions of dollars from taxpayers." She criticized what she described as a careless attitude towards government spending and highlighted the nation's substantial debt as a consequence.

Senator Todd Young voiced his support for recovering taxpayer dollars and protecting against fraud. "Programs designed to provide relief to our small businesses were repeatedly taken advantage of, leaving small businesses hurting and taxpayers on the hook," he said.

Senator John Curtis also supported the initiative, stating that while many family-owned businesses used relief funds appropriately, others took advantage of loopholes. He underscored the importance of holding offenders accountable through extended oversight authority.

The bill follows reports by the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) about expiring oversight powers and concerns over potential unaddressed thefts exceeding $200 billion. The Small Business Administration's (SBA) "first come, first serve" approach led to some questionable approvals, including instances where fraudulent applicants submitted images such as Barbie dolls as identification.

The legislation is cosponsored by Senators Todd Young, James Lankford, Josh Hawley, Eric Schmitt, and John Curtis.