According to the DOJ, there are still 157,000 open UI fraud complaints and 1,648 open investigations. If no congressional action is taken, the current statute will expire on March 27, leaving thousands of Americans unreimbursed for stolen benefits and potentially hundreds of fraudsters would be let off the hook.
While only a fraction of the $280 billion in estimated fraud losses, the report shows that the effects of the massive coronavirus relief bills are still being dealt with.
Republicans on the Ways and Means Committee this summer introduced antifraud legislation to track the flow of funds and fix the practices leaching the system. Democrats haven’t moved on it, and last week they blocked a GOP “resolution of inquiry” that would have forced the Administration to provide more specific information about the unemployment fraud.
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