Congressman Pat Harrigan Votes to Establish Permanent Fraud Prevention Office and Strengthen Federal Spending Oversight

Contact: Lexi Kranich (814) 380-4408

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Today, Congressman Pat Harrigan (NC-10) voted in favor of H.R. 8312, the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act, legislation to establish a permanent, governmentwide Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery within the Department of Treasury and strengthen data sharing authorities to detect and prevent fraud across federal programs.

"The federal government has a fraud problem, and the American taxpayer is the one paying for it," said Congressman Harrigan. "COVID relief programs alone were hit with hundreds of billions in fraudulent payments, and right now there is no permanent, dedicated entity with the tools and authority to track fraud across all federal programs at once. This bill creates one, gives it real investigative authority, and makes sure that when taxpayer dollars go out the door, someone is actually watching where they go."

The Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act establishes an Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, with authority to conduct audits and investigations across all federal programs, coordinate with agency Inspectors General, share data with law enforcement, and report findings directly to Congress. The legislation also transfers the assets and functions of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, which was created to oversee COVID relief spending, into this permanent office, ensuring that the infrastructure built to fight pandemic fraud is not lost but instead institutionalized as a lasting tool for taxpayer protection.

Congressman Harrigan has been a consistent advocate for fiscal accountability and will continue fighting to ensure federal dollars are spent responsibly and only reach those who are legally entitled to receive them.