House Ways and Means Committee Chair Calls for Probe Into $60 Billion in Fake COVID-Relief Unemployment Claims

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R‑Mo.) is calling for an investigation into the “historic theft of taxpayer dollars from COVID-era unemployment programs” after a report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that as much as $60 billion may have been spent on fraudulent claims for unemployment insurance during the pandemic.
The report, released on Jan. 23, said that the Department of Labor (DOL) stated that about $878 billion in to …