Legislator’s Letter: Waste, fraud, fact-checkers and cover-ups

It is amazing to research anything this past week to see results be overwhelmed with fact checks, counterarguments and smoke and mirror news stories distracting from this very real issue. It makes you wish some of our legacy media would work this hard to cover the obvious corruption, fraud and waste that is undeniably being exposed under this new administration.

More examples of waste uncovered (sources included): 

• Millions for sex changes in Guatemala
• $4.67 million on a questionable contract linked to the Wuhan lab
• $26 million to a news outlet in the past four years
• $250 million in wasteful contracts including a Sri Lanka resilience coordinator
• $31 million of Social Security payments to people who are deceased 
• $236 billion in improper government payments in 2023 alone 

The more I research, the worse it gets. On a positive note, while people are questioning sources of certain waste examples, more attention is brought to this glaring issue — and our nation will be better for it.

What are some of the obstructionists to these stories trying to accomplish? As we navigate this new era of federal government accountability, it is hard to not question the resistance to these important conversations.

As I’ve said many times, budgets express priorities.

When you look at the financial needs of our veterans, Americans struggling with addiction, children in poverty, healthcare and more, asking questions about recent funding decisions seems like a no-brainer.

The state of Oregon should absolutely be scrutinizing our budgets to find waste, overspending, and corruption. I’m certain, as we face another onslaught of Democrat bills in Salem, that there will be more forced investment to their political allies — look no further than SB916. Instead of being good stewards and ensuring the longevity of our unemployment benefit system, Democrats are trying to offer their political allies pay benefits while on strike — harming small business and threatening the long-term viability of an important program.

While different waste examples are being widely shared, you have my word I will continue to seek the truth, arm you with knowledge and include information so you can do your own research to come to your own conclusions.

Moving forward, I recommend researching USASpending.gov, Citizens Against Government Waste, and the Government Accountability Office, to name a few. 

Recent inquiries to my office on this issue tells me this will be one of the most important policy discussions of our lifetime. 

Editor’s note: The news outlet mentioned here is POLITICO Pro, a professional subscription service used by companies, organizations, and some government agencies to track policies, legislation and regulations.