Senators Young, Ernst legislation to recover billions in COVID Relief Fraud Advances

Sunday, February 16, 2025 at 6:00 PM

The Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship recently passed the Complete COVID Collections Act, legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) to ensure that billions of stolen taxpayer dollars are recovered.

Young and Ernst introduced the bill after the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR) warned its authority was expiring and fraudsters would get away with stealing more than $200 billion.

“Programs designed to provide relief to our small businesses were repeatedly taken advantage of, leaving small businesses hurting and taxpayers on the hook,” said Senator Young. “I’m glad to see this effort to recover taxpayer dollars and protect Americans from fraud and abuse pass out of committee. I look forward to voting for this bill on the Senate floor.”

“I will not allow fraudsters to get away with stealing hundreds of billions of dollars from taxpayers,” said Senator Ernst. “We are going to recoup every cent and end the cycle in Washington of shrugging off a few billion here and a few hundred million there. That irresponsible mindset is why the federal government is more than $36 trillion in debt. I’m proud to lead this step forward to treat tax dollars like a family treats its budget instead of like a bottomless slush fund.”

Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), and John Curtis (R-Utah) also co-sponsored the legislation.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.