Hoosier State Today

U.S. Senators Todd Young and Joni Ernst have introduced the Complete COVID Collections Act, a legislative measure aimed at recovering billions of dollars lost to fraud in COVID relief programs. These programs, initially established by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to support small businesses during the pandemic, were exploited by fraudulent entities.

The proposed legislation seeks to extend the authority of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery. This role was initially created to oversee pandemic funds and would now include additional SBA COVID-related programs under its jurisdiction. It is estimated that over $200 billion remains unrecovered.

Senator Young expressed his concerns about the misuse of these funds, stating, "Programs designed to provide relief to our small businesses were repeatedly taken advantage of, leaving small businesses hurting and taxpayers on the hook." He emphasized his commitment alongside Senator Ernst to reclaim taxpayer money and safeguard against fraud.

Senator Ernst highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue amid national debt concerns: "Con artists took advantage of small businesses’ pain during COVID to defraud government programs designed to help hardworking Americans." She stressed the importance of utilizing all available resources to retrieve taxpayer money and hold offenders accountable.

The legislation has also garnered support from Senators Marsha Blackburn, James Lankford, and John Curtis.