Indy Standard

U.S. Senators Todd Young and Joni Ernst have introduced the Complete COVID Collections Act, a legislative measure aimed at recovering billions of dollars lost to fraud in COVID relief programs. These programs, initially established by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to support small businesses during the pandemic, were exploited by fraudulent entities.

The proposed act seeks to extend the authority of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery, enabling oversight of additional SBA COVID-related initiatives. Current estimates suggest that over $200 billion still needs to be recovered from these fraudulent activities.

Senator Young expressed his concerns: “Programs designed to provide relief to our small businesses were repeatedly taken advantage of, leaving small businesses hurting and taxpayers on the hook. I’m glad to join Senator Ernst in this effort to recover taxpayer dollars and protect Americans from fraud and abuse.”

Senator Ernst emphasized the urgency due to national debt levels: “Con artists took advantage of small businesses’ pain during COVID to defraud government programs designed to help hardworking Americans. While we are $36 trillion in debt, we especially cannot afford to leave more than $200 billion floating around, especially in the hands of fraudsters. My Republican colleagues and I are making sure that all resources are available in this fight to get taxpayers’ money back and hold these criminals accountable.”

The legislation is also supported by Senators Marsha Blackburn, James Lankford, and John Curtis.