In a scathing revelation, an audit by the EPA Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has unveiled a staggering failure by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under President Joe Biden to report a colossal $7 billion in award-level obligations and outlays during the fiscal year 2022. The report, disclosed on Friday, January 12, 2024, by Fox News, raises profound concerns regarding transparency, financial accountability, and the potential prioritization of political objectives over environmental initiatives within the Biden administration.
The OIG audit laid bare a shocking 99.9% underreporting of award-level outlays, amounting to $5.8 billion, and a 12.9% underreporting of award-level obligations, totaling $1.2 billion during the fiscal year spanning October 2021 to September 2022. The failure to report any outlays related to the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, along with inaccuracies in pandemic-related outlays, further intensified the scrutiny.
Mandy Gunasekara, a Heritage Foundation visiting fellow and former EPA chief of staff during the Trump administration, did not mince words in her critique of the Biden administration’s handling of EPA funds. Gunasekara asserted, “The Biden administration is using EPA as a pass-through for taxpayer dollars to fund left-wing groups that aim to get Democrats elected, not improve the environment.”
Reacting to the audit findings, Gunasekara emphasized, “A failure to report $7 billion is absurd and unacceptable, but also symbolic of how Team Biden operates: prioritizing their political goals over the needs of the American people.”
Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers echoed these sentiments, expressing outrage at the EPA’s inability to track its spending and inform Congress and the public about the utilization of taxpayer dollars. She questioned whether the EPA was genuinely incapable of managing its record-high budget or if it was deliberately concealing spending related to the administration’s environmental agenda.
“The lack of complete and accurate reporting,” highlighted in the OIG report, not only misled taxpayers about the EPA’s spending but also compromised the ability of policymakers to effectively track federal spending. McMorris Rodgers emphasized the urgent need for increased transparency at the EPA, stating, “This eye-opening report only further highlights the need for more transparency at the EPA.”
The implications of the EPA’s financial mismanagement extend beyond fiscal concerns, potentially undermining the Biden administration’s broader climate and environmental goals. As policymakers and taxpayers grapple with the fallout, the spotlight is firmly on the EPA, urging a thorough examination of its financial practices and a commitment to rectify the glaring oversight.
