When you have a federal government that operates as if it has an unlimited checkbook, it’s not rocket science to assume some fraud will be involved. But the amount of fraud that took place after D.C. administered HUGE COVID relief checks and programs is SHOCKING. Glenn describes the BILLIONS of dollars of fraud that took place, the failure of government to control it today, and he explains why this is just another example to NOT trust Big Gov…
Transcript
Below is a rush transcript that may contain errors
GLENN: Now, I don't want to give you another reason to be freaked out by the size and power of our federal government. You know, I think the IRS adding, you know, 87,000 new agents, and the FBI's latest episode at Mar-a-Lago, you know, had been enough. Had been enough. But the New York Times has more great news about what they call, quote, a tidal wave of pandemic fraud. Now, I don't also want to be the guy who says, I told you so. Half of America told you this was a bad idea! But I told you so. And so did half of America. This was a bad idea. The pandemic checks, when they started rolling off the press, there was a lot of people who said, this was the greatest thing ever!
And, you know, it wasn't rocket science to say, you know, I bet when you have a government that operates as if it has an unlimited checkbook, and you just open the floodgates and just gush money in a panic, with zero oversight, I think you're going to get some fraud. It's even more telling when the New York Times admits that maybe this pandemic relief was a bad idea. Because remember, the New York Times thinks almost every single batcrap crazy democratic spending idea is just genius. So to hear them say, quote, trillions of dollars flowed into federal relief programs with few strings and minimal oversight, resulting in one of the largest frauds in U.S. history. End quote. That's pretty remarkable. To put it into perspective, keep in mind, that the current U.S. national debt is over $28 trillion.
In 2020, our leadership approved $3.1 trillion in relief money. And this was to help the unemployed and boost the economy.
Last year, they approved another $1.9 trillion. And, by the way, relief. The relief insanity, totally bipartisan. I mean, sometimes, I guess, conservatives -- you know, forget that they're conservatives at all. You know, it's a bedtime story they tell themselves.
STU: It's an interesting thing to examine closely though. Because we have a complaint, rightly so, over the $1.9 trillion covid bill that came in with Biden.
And the 740 billion-dollar Inflation Reduction Act that just passed. And that is $2.6 trillion of spending. It's significant, Glenn.
But we do tend to overlook that the Republicans signed on for a 1 trillion-dollar plus stimulus package. They signed on to a 280 billion-dollar chips package. Which was supposedly going to --
GLENN: Corporate welfare.
STU: They've had several other spending bills. And that doesn't even include the multiple trillions of dollars, that they all agreed on, when Trump was still president.
So, yes, inflation is more of the fault of the left.
But like, you know, it's -- especially the moderate Republicans that have crossed the line over and over and over and over again here. There's a lot of blame to be placed there as well.
GLENN: It's time for the Republican Party to either go away, or be reborn. A new baptism. Forgive us our sins. And actually stand up again. Because neither side is serious about any of this stuff, when it comes to money. Anyway, there's been so much fraud, related to the $5 trillion that there are now 500 people from the FBI, Secret Service, IRS, Postal Inspection Service, and offices of various inspector generals, working full-time on pandemic fraud cases. There's nearly 500 government employees doing that now. Across all these agencies. The IRS just hired 87,000. And they've got 500 -- well, not just them. All of these agencies have a total of 500 people. 1500 people have been charged so far. 450 people have been convicted. Investigators say, they've barely scratched the surface. The labor department's IG office alone, has 39,000 investigations open. The Small Business Administration, which, by the way, has its own police. Did you know that?
STU: The small --
GLENN: The Small Business Administration.
STU: Has a police?
GLENN: Has a police. Yeah. I didn't know that.
But, anyway, their way of making their way through 2 million potentially fraudulent loan applications, huh.
The SPA usually gets 800 calls per year on their fraud hotline. This time, they've received 148,000 calls from the first year of the pandemic. Now, this is how dumb apparently, we are. Do you remember that 600-dollar unemployment benefit that the federal government offered on top of whatever amount, a job less person received from the state?
Well, applicants weren't even required to provide proof that they lost their job due to covid. They had just the swear that it was true.
Oh, I promise, I promise, I promise. Our government entrusted 5 trillion dollars, to the honor system, at a time in American history, where there is no honor.
Here's some of the examples of some of the fraud, that they missed. Now, this is, again, according to the New York Times. Twenty-nine states paid unemployment benefits to the same person. Twenty-nine states, to the same person.
A Postal Service employee got an $82,900 loan for a business called the U.S. Postal Service. An individual got ten loans for ten nonexistent bathroom renovation businesses, using the email address of a burrito shop.
Multiple people received relief money for their farms.
They were just defining a farm to be their front yard. One scammer used pandemic relief funds, to buy $57,000 Pokémon trading cards. Three hundred forty-two people managed to get small business loans by listing their name as not available, n/a.
Now, no one has any idea how much -- how much money was really lost to fraud here. One official estimated that the improper unemployment payments alone could be about 200 billion dollars.
Just from one part of it. That's almost a quarter of a trillion dollars. From just unemployment fraud. Hmm.
But don't worry. Government has everything under control. You know, we've got things that we don't believe in, anymore. But we're going to reform them.
Yesterday -- yesterday, Rochelle Walensky raked her agency across the coals. And she outlined a plan to overhaul the CDC. She said, we are in real trouble. So she's created a new executive team, to set priorities, and decide how to spend the CDC's annual budget of $12 billion. $12 billion, every year. Yet over a million Americans died from covid. So it doesn't quite add up. One external review of the CDC recommends improvements, including releasing scientific data more quickly to improve transparency. Translating science into practical and easy to understand policy. No. Improving communication with the public.
No, I think we heard them loudly. Training the CDC work to respond better to public health emergencies. All of that begs the question, what they were doing with the $12 billion before?
I mean, this is the what the CDC is supposed to do? So the CDC admitting that it has been a problem, is the first crucial step. But the other steps matter as well.
Okay. Biden administrations DEI virus, has struck again. This time in the CDC. Part of Rochelle Walensky's proposed overhaul includes creating a new equity office.
Now, I was thinking to myself, as we were watching people die in the nursing home. I thought, you know what, but is there equity here?
It's going to keep an eye on all CDC functions from hiring policy, to improve the agency's diversity.
Thank God. I mean, when somebody answers the phone, I need to know that there's a chance that I'm going to talk to somebody who is a transsexual.
You know what I mean? I have to know that.
At least rest assured. I don't want to ask them questions. I just want to know, do we have the right number of homosexuals, heterosexuals? People who think they're an animal of some sort? And then, of course, all the colors of the rainbow. Because that's following science, you know. I don't think disease actually cares about what color you are or who you sleep with. Dr. Walensky didn't even address the footage --
STU: To be fair, some diseases do care who you sleep with.
GLENN: Monkey pox. Monkey pox. Monkey pox. Dr.Walensky didn't address the footage of President Biden signing the bill on Tuesday. Which is really too bad. Because it perfectly illustrates what the CDC and the federal government is about under Joe Biden. Performative theater. At you see it yesterday?
Joe Biden, wearing a mask, to the podium. Takes it off, to cough in his hand. Then proceeds to sign a bill. Hand the pin to people. And then shake hands with everybody, with the hand he coughed into.
STU: And also look like he's completely senile while he's holding the --
GLENN: Completely.
STU: Like, the eyes are empty. There's nothing behind them. Nothing. That's totally a different story. But it's important to point out. If you've watched this video, you've noticed it.
GLENN: Anyway, I started this segment by saying, I don't want to give you any more reasons to worry about the government. Except for those three reasons.
