Rep. Rudy Yakym
Toward reducing waste and fraud in the federal government, U.S. Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-IN) on March 3 proposed legislation that seeks to bolster the reporting of improper payments by federal agencies.
“The American people deserve full transparency and accountability in how their hard-earned money is spent,” Rep. Yakym said, “and this legislation is a crucial step toward ensuring responsible stewardship of taxpayer funds.”
The congressman sponsored the bipartisan Improper Payments Transparency Act, H.R. 1771, alongside three original cosponsors, including lead cosponsor U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), to strengthen transparency and accuracy in improper payment reporting.
Specifically, H.R. 1771 would direct the president’s budget request to Congress to include the amounts and rates of improper payments at each executive agency, year-over-year trends, a detailed explanation of trends, and a summary of any corrective actions taken to address improper payments, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Yakym’s office.
Including this data in the budget would correct the gaps in improper payment reporting, which in turn would streamline funding to essential government programs and reduce wasteful use of taxpayer dollars, the summary says.
“Government waste and fraud continue to drain taxpayer dollars at an alarming rate, undermining public trust and fiscal responsibility,” said Rep. Yakym, adding that the common-sense bill will increase transparency and combat improper payments.
“Over the past two decades, the federal government has made more than $2.8 trillion in improper payments, errors that waste taxpayer dollars and undermine public trust,” added Rep. Panetta. “Our bipartisan Improper Payments Transparency Act would ensure the president’s annual budget request provides detailed reporting on these payments, giving Congress and the American people a clearer picture of where and why these mistakes happen.”
H.R. 1771 has been referred for consideration to the U.S. House Budget Committee.