Senator Reportedly Blocking Fraud Bill Says Congresswoman

Fraudsters who stole billions in COVID relief might soon be off the hook — and it looks like Senator Ed Markey wants to keep it that way.

A bipartisan bill designed to give prosecutors more time to go after COVID-era scammers is being quietly blocked in the Senate, despite overwhelming support in the House and unanimous backing in committee. The “SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act” is only two pages long and does one simple thing: it extends the statute of limitations for fraud involving two major COVID relief programs — the $29 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund and the $15 billion Shuttered Venue Operators Grant.

Both were hotbeds of abuse. According to the SBA’s own inspector general, 12% of restaurant grant recipients didn’t even bother to file the required paperwork. Half a billion dollars in the venue program is flagged as “potentially improper.” And worst of all, both programs ran out of money — meaning real businesses were likely pushed aside by fraudsters who knew how to game the system.

Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) sounded the alarm: “Senate Democrats are blocking my commonsense bill… meaning criminals like those recently exposed in Minnesota will get away with it simply because the clock will run out.” She’s not exaggerating. Prosecutors are drowning in backlog. The only thing they need is more time. And yet, Ed Markey — the top Democrat on the Senate Small Business Committee — is sitting on the bill, refusing to give the green light for it to reach the Senate floor.

Why? Markey won’t say. His office hasn’t responded to requests for comment.

Meanwhile, watchdogs are baffled. “This issue ought to be unanimous,” said John Hart, head of Open The Books. “What, exactly, is controversial about prosecuting cases of fraud?”

Good question. But it seems this White House and its allies are allergic to accountability. From day one, Biden’s COVID relief strategy was “pay and chase” — flood the economy with money now, and figure out who didn’t deserve it later. But now that “later” is here, Democrats are acting like the chase part doesn’t matter.

Worse, this appears to be part of a disturbing pattern. The Biden administration has openly declined to pursue PPP loan repayment in many cases, citing “equity” as justification. In some states, Democratic lawmakers — including two Black Democrats in Georgia and an Arab Democrat in Virginia — have been caught red-handed stealing COVID funds. And one African-born USAID employee used a fake company to scam the PPP program, collecting cash based on a business that didn’t even exist on paper.