WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2021) Reports that up to half of COVID-19 pandemic-related unemployment benefits had been stolen, much of the funds by foreign criminal syndicates, prompted a fresh appeal for a congressional investigation by Republicans on the US House Oversight Committee in a letter to Democratic Chair Carolyn Maloney on Thursday.
"This week we learned that "[c]riminals may have stolen as much as half of the unemployment benefits the US has been pumping out over the past year. This amount may be more than $400 billion," the letter said. "To make matters worse, the bulk of the money likely ended in the hands of foreign crime syndicates - making this not just theft, but a matter of national security."
The letter from Oversight Committee Ranking Republican James Comer and committee members Darrell Issa and Gary Palmer noted that Maloney had rejected a similar request for hearing on unemployment fraud in February. It also accused the Biden administration of failing to take the threat seriously.
Despite the earlier rejection, the lawmakers' fresh appeal for Maloney to hold hearings said the committee still has the power to find out what happened to the money and prevent additional fraud in the future.
