On June 22, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a hearing titled “U.S. Economy On The Path To Strong Recovery.” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified regarding the Fed’s emergency pandemic...more
6/24/2021
/ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Downturn ,
FEMA ,
Fraud ,
Main Street Lending Programs ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Preliminary Injunctions ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State Attorneys General ,
Vaccinations ,
Veterans Administration
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis continues its investigation into PPP fraud. On May 27, the Select Subcommittee turned its focus to FinTech firms and partner banks implicated in Department of Justice...more
6/11/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Consent Order ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SIGPR ,
State Attorneys General ,
Vaccinations
On May 26, SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman began a series of hearings on the Hill that will continue through May 28. On May 26, she testified before the House Committee on Small Business in a hearing titled “An...more
6/1/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
SBA ,
SBA Lending Programs ,
TRIPS Agreement ,
Vaccinations ,
Waivers
House Education and Labor Committee Chair Robert C. Scott (D-VA) issued a statement on May 18 criticizing the Biden Administration’s decision to use “the honor system” to report coronavirus vaccination status. He said, “One...more
5/20/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Fraud ,
Infectious Diseases ,
Joint Task Force ,
OSHA ,
Oversight Committee ,
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SIGPR ,
State Attorneys General ,
Vaccinations ,
Workplace Safety
The Congressional Oversight Commission released its 12th report on April 30. The report focuses on a $700 million loan to trucking company Yellow Corporation (formerly known as YRC Worldwide) under the CARES Act loan program...more
5/7/2021
/ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ,
CARES Act ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Constitutional Challenges ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Data Collection ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Stimulus ,
Fraud ,
Government Investigations ,
Information Reports ,
Legal Opinion ,
National Security ,
Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Restaurant Industry ,
SIGPR ,
State Attorneys General
On April 21, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations and Innovation held a hearing entitled “Prepare for Takeoff: America’s Safe Return to Air Travel.” The...more
4/23/2021
/ Airlines ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Inspector General ,
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Price-Fixing ,
State Attorneys General
As part of its ongoing investigation into pandemic-related government contracts entered into by the Trump Administration, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis released documents that offer a real-time look...more
4/9/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Fraud ,
Fraud Abuse and Waste ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Price Gouging ,
Public Contracts ,
SIGPR ,
Small Business ,
Trump Administration ,
Vaccinations
On March 15, the SBA Office of the Inspector General published a report identifying $692 million in duplicate PPP loans. This confirmed earlier findings made by the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis in...more
3/18/2021
/ Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
Fraud ,
Inspector General ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Price Gouging ,
SIGPR ,
State Attorneys General ,
Trump Administration ,
Wire Fraud
Republican leaders urged their House Democrat counterparts to hold a joint hearing regarding the undercounting of COVID-19 deaths in New York nursing homes. The letter was signed by Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Cathy...more
3/12/2021
/ Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Nursing Homes ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Settlement ,
State Attorneys General ,
Wire Fraud
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis launched an investigation into One Medical’s COVID-19 vaccine-distribution practices. In a letter, Subcommittee Chair James Clyburn (D-SC) highlighted the need for...more
3/5/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
Capital Requirements ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Fraud ,
Nursing Homes ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Settlement ,
State Attorneys General ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Vaccinations
On February 19, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a video briefing on ensuring equity in coronavirus vaccinations. In a press release, the Subcommittee identified the following takeaways from the...more
2/26/2021
/ Biden Administration ,
CARES Act ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement ,
Eviction ,
Fraud ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
State Attorneys General ,
Travel Restrictions ,
Vaccinations
On her first day as Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said she would ask the FTC to look into N95 mask fraud, including 1.9 million counterfeits shipped to...more
2/19/2021
/ Amazon ,
CARES Act ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Counterfeiting ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fraud ,
Identity Theft ,
Indictments ,
Masks ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
State Attorneys General ,
Workplace Safety
The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis sent letters to the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services summarizing initial results of the panel’s investigation into the previous administration’s...more
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said the House is planning to bring a coronavirus relief bill to a vote the first week of February. On the Senate side, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he aims to secure passage of the...more
The Congressional Oversight Commission released its seventh report, which focuses on the Treasury and the Department of Defense’s $700 million loan to YRC Worldwide, Inc. The report is highly critical of the loan, noting that...more
12/4/2020
/ Airlines ,
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) ,
Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Federal Loans ,
Healthcare Facilities ,
Loan Forgiveness ,
OSHA ,
Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Relief Measures ,
SBA ,
State Attorneys General ,
Transparency ,
Transportation Industry ,
U.S. Treasury
The Congressional Oversight Commission issued a statement on the Secondary Market Corporate Credit Facility (SMCCF), noting that the SMCCF “is still purchasing approximately $20 million worth of corporate bonds per day. The...more
11/19/2020
/ Cal-OSHA ,
Congressional Committees ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Oversight Committee ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Price Gouging ,
SBA ,
SIGPR ,
State Attorneys General ,
Wire Fraud
In response to requests from House Select Subcommittee on the
Coronavirus Crisis Chair James Clyburn (D-SC), four companies that collectively received $595 million in Payroll Support Program funds have committed to retain...more
The Congressional Oversight Commission will hold its second public hearing today. The commissioners will examine and hear testimony regarding the Municipal Lending Facility established by the Federal Reserve pursuant to the...more
..The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis held a remote hearing with civil rights advocates and public health experts to examine the steps that must be taken to ensure a free, fair, and safe general election...more
The Congressional Oversight Commission held its first hearing on August 7, focusing on the Federal Reserve’s $600 billion Main Street Lending Program. Commission members were critical of the program, with Democrat Bharat...more
Bharat Ramamurti, a Democratic member of the Congressional Oversight Commission, tweeted that the Commission will hold its first hearing on August 7, which will focus on the Federal Reserve’s Main Street Lending Program.
...more
8/10/2020
/ Congressional Committees ,
Congressional Investigations & Hearings ,
Congressional Oversight ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Inspector General ,
Main Street Lending Programs ,
OSHA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Public Health Emergency ,
State Attorneys General
Senate Republicans unveiled an approximately $1 trillion virus relief package. The “Heals Act,” which differs significantly from the legislation House Democrats passed last month, includes more than $100 billion for schools -...more
Treasury and the SBA disclosed the identities of a portion of PPP loan recipients. The Washington Post has created a searchable database of the recipients. Politico reports that the revelation that wealthy businesses and...more
Several news outlets reported that former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford is the leading contender to chair the Congressional Oversight Commission—a position that, under the CARES Act, must be jointly selected...more
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis launched an investigation into the disbursement of PPP funds by sending letters to the Treasury Department, SBA, and eight financial institutions. The letters were...more