Today, Michael E. Horowitz, Chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), announced the release of the PRAC’s Semiannual Report to Congress. The report covers the period from October 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023, and is the sixth Semiannual Report to Congress since the PRAC was created in March 2020.
Read highlights from the report.
The report summarizes our work during the first half of Fiscal Year 2023 and updates Congress on our efforts to promote transparency and ensure coordinated oversight of more than $5 trillion in pandemic relief. The report describes how our advanced data analytics platform identified billions of dollars in potential fraud in small business relief programs and how we are using agile oversight products, like our Fraud Alert, to quickly inform the public and policymakers.
The report also contains cross-cutting insights from the 50 pandemic-related oversight reports that were issued by 19 federal Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs) during the reporting period. Collectively, these 19 OIGs made 101 recommendations to improve the federal government’s response to the pandemic. Insights from these reports include:
- How improving data information sharing between agencies enhances decision making
- Challenges faced by pandemic relief recipients interpreting reporting requirements, which impacts transparency on use of funds
- How a lack of documentation makes it difficult to determine if pandemic funding has reached the people it was intended to
- The importance of critical data, information, and guidance from agencies to the American people so they can better protect themselves from the effects of the pandemic.
The report also highlights OIGs’ efforts to pursue fraud investigations and criminal enforcement. A total of 17 OIGs publicly reported 661 indictments and arrests, and 481 convictions from October 1, 2022, through March 31, 2023, related to the federal government’s COVID-19 pandemic response. Some of the investigations featured in the report show how fraudsters stole funds from multiple programs and agencies.
Read the full report to learn more about the PRAC's achievements during this reporting period.
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The PRAC was established by the CARES Act to promote transparency and support independent oversight of the funds provided by the CARES Act and other related emergency spending bills. In addition to its coordination and oversight responsibilities, the PRAC is tasked with supporting efforts to “prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement [and] mitigate major risks that cut across program and agency boundaries.”
If you have additional questions, please contact Lisa Reijula at lisa.reijula@cigie.gov