El ex-presidente ecuatoriano Rafael Correa difunde activamente retórica antiamericana y altera las instituciones democráticas de su país para su propio beneficio. Correa ha sido condenado por corrupción por parte de la Corte Nacional de Justicia de Ecuador. Los...
News
Latest News
English/ Español: Rubio, Risch, Colleagues: Rafael Correa Must Be Held Accountable for His Crimes
Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa actively spreads anti-American rhetoric and tampers with his homeland’s democratic institutions for his own benefit. Correa has been convicted of corruption by Ecuador’s National Court of Justice. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio...
Rubio Demands Answers on Decongestant Medication Efficacy
A U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee recently determined that phenylephrine, an ingredient commonly used to treat sinus and nasal congestion, is ineffective in treating these symptoms. This was apparent from research for years, yet large...
Rubio Habla en La Poderosa
El senador estadounidense Marco Rubio (R-FL) habló con César Grajales de La Poderosa 670 AM en El Panorama Político, sobre la crisis fronteriza, sobre cómo los hispanoamericanos se ven afectados con la realidad del país, sobre los cargos contra el senador Bob Menéndez...
Rubio, Colleagues Reintroduce Bill to Protect Rights of Pregnant Students
Pregnant students are sometimes discriminated against by their schools, either intentionally or unintentionally and there is a concerning lack of awareness about the resources and rights available to them. Due to a lack of services and discrimination, these women may...
Rubio, Colleagues Reintroduce Intelligence Community Workforce Agility Protection Act
Currently, intelligence community civilians are subject to certain tax penalties for job-related relocation requirements, but active-duty military servicemembers are not subjected to the same penalties. These tax benefits, including the ability to deduct moving...
Rubio Requests GAO Review of Democrats’ Wasteful COVID Spending Spree
Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) Comptroller General Gene Dodaro requesting a GAO review on how the states, localities, and tribes spent $350 billion in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA).
“It was an unprecedented allocation of emergency federal funding to state and local entities, which many of my colleagues and I warned would become a slush fund plagued by mismanagement and abuse,” Rubio wrote. “The stories of waste and abuse are piling up. States and localities have reportedly used the money to renovate baseball stadiums, replace golf course irrigation systems, push new local marketing campaigns to attract tourists, revamp websites, and fund construction of a luxury hotel.”
“Reports of outrageous and wasteful spending come at the same time the Biden Administration demands additional funding for COVID-related programs,” Rubio continued. “During a time of soaring prices, continued supply chain challenges, and other disruptions to our economy, taxpayers and lawmakers must have transparency into how this funding is being used.”
The full text of the letter is below.
Dear Mr. Dodaro:
The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provided $350 billion to the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) to “mitigate the fiscal effects stemming from the public health emergency.” It was an unprecedented allocation of emergency federal funding to state and local entities, which many of my colleagues and I warned would become a slush fund plagued by mismanagement and abuse. Unfortunately, recent reports have uncovered the exact kind of irresponsible actions we feared. As such, I write to request a full GAO review of state and local governments’ use of SLFRF funds to ensure that taxpayers benefit from full transparency and Congress can protect against further waste and abuse.
ARPA included broad guardrails with respect to how state and local governments could use SLFRF funding, including responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency and its negative economic effects on communities, providing additional supports to essential workers, replacing lost or delayed revenues, and making certain infrastructure investments. Additional guidance from the U.S. Department of Treasury further clarified the allowable usage of such funds, providing a remarkable level of flexibility and streamlining the funding distribution process.
The stories of waste and abuse are piling up. States and localities have reportedly used the money to renovate baseball stadiums, replace golf course irrigation systems, push new local marketing campaigns to attract tourists, revamp websites, and fund construction of a luxury hotel. Regardless of how much flexibility some in our legislative body may have wanted to attach to these hundreds of billions of dollars, few can argue that this is what Congress had in mind.
Reports of outrageous and wasteful spending come at the same time the Biden Administration demands additional funding for COVID-related programs. During a time of soaring prices, continued supply chain challenges, and other disruptions to our economy, taxpayers and lawmakers must have transparency into how this funding is being used.
In response, I ask for a GAO review of usage of state and local relief funding provided through the ARPA SLFRF. I look forward to your forthcoming report.
Sincerely,