Watchdogs Say Trump Admin Limiting Oversight of Virus Aid

[Judi Lynn]

A panel of inspectors general overseeing a sweeping economic rescue law said an “ambiguity” in the law could block the watchdogs from conducting independent oversight

By Matthew Daly and Mary Clare Jalonick • Published 5 mins ago • Updated 18 seconds ago


Government watchdogs are warning that a legal determination by the Trump administration could severely limit their ability to oversee more than $1 trillion in spending related to the coronavirus pandemic.

In a letter to four congressional committees, a panel of inspectors general overseeing a sweeping economic rescue law said an “ambiguity” in the law could block the watchdogs from conducting independent oversight.

The letter from Michael Horowitz and Robert Westbrooks, the officials leading the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, cites a May 7 memo by the Treasury Department’s legal counsel concluding that disclosure requirements in the rescue law do not extend to more than $1 trillion in spending — nearly half of the $2.4 trillion committed to the rescue law by Congress.

“If this interpretation of the CARES Act were correct, it would raise questions about PRAC’s authority to conduct oversight" of spending that includes federal loans for small businesses, aid to cities, states and tribes and other programs, the letter says. The CARES Act is the rescue law's formal name.

More:
https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/politics/watchdogs-say-trump-admin-limiting-oversight-of-virus-aid/2348125/