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Miami, FL — U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), Chairman of the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, issued the following statement after the release of the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Inspector General audit report on the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) Association. The Inspector General’s audit uncovered systemic issues within the SCORE Association and the SBA’s oversight of the SCORE program, including an extensive misuse of federal funds for unallowable and unreasonable expenses without SBA detection.
“The results of this audit are both shocking and troubling. It is completely unacceptable that the SBA failed to identify SCORE’s misuse of federal grants money for excessive staff bonuses, unallowable contracts, and prohibited costs such as alcohol.
“This program is intended to support America’s entrepreneurs who are working tirelessly to start businesses, create jobs, and better their communities. As the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship continues to work toward reauthorizing the Small Business Act, I can assure you that this kind of abuse and waste of taxpayer dollars will not go unchecked.
“I look forward to Wednesday’s committee hearing, which will focus on the reauthorization of the SBA’s entrepreneurial development programs, in addition to diving further into this audit report. We will have the opportunity to question the SBA Associate Administrator for Entrepreneurial Development, the SBA Inspector General, and the CEO of the SCORE Association. This hearing will also examine recent OIG embezzlement and whistleblower retaliation investigations surrounding the SCORE program. It is vital that the committee ensures that this program is meeting its intended purpose and serving America’s small businesses.”
On Wednesday, Chairman Rubio will convene a hearing titled, “Reauthorization of the SBA’s Entrepreneurial Development Programs.”
The hearing will be live-streamed on the committee’s website here.