Biden Calls For Investigations Into Pandemic Fraud, Abuse During State of the Union

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) listen as U.S. President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Feb. 7, 2023. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

During his State of the Union address on Feb. 7, President Joe Biden called for investigations into fraudulent use of funds authorized for COVID-19 economic relief.

The call comes as a concession from the president to Republicans, who are gearing up for investigations on topics ranging from Biden’s family to the Department of Justice and FBI.

An estimated $500 billion has been lost to waste, fraud, and abuse in pandemic relief spending.

The House Oversight Committee was told by expert witnesses that nobody has lost their job for this enormous fraud.

Republicans, most prominently Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have called for investigations into pandemic fraud.

Biden conceded to the need for such an investigation during his address.

“As we emerge from this crisis, stronger, we’re also gotta (sic) double down on prosecuting criminals who stole relief money meant to keep workers and small businesses afloat,” Biden said.

The declaration was met with a round of applause from Republicans, as well as from Attorney General Merrick Garland. As head of the Department of Justice, Garland would be responsible for carrying out such prosecutions.

‘Soon We’ll End the Public Health Emergency’

“Soon we'll end the public health emergency—” Biden said before being interrupted by Republican applause.

Last week, the House GOP majority passed a bill that would end the public health emergency due to COVID-19.

Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) proposed ending the emergency declaration, putting pressure on the Biden administration to rescind the measure. After Republicans announced their intention to consider the bill, Biden announced that he would end the public health emergency but said he would wait until May to do so.

In a speech on the House floor calling for the passage of his bill, Guthrie said, “President Biden and I agree: the COVID-19 pandemic is over.”

“It’s time to restore freedom to the American people, so the American people—not the government—can make the best decisions for themselves and their families,” Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) said in favor of the legislation in a speech on the House floor.

On Jan. 11, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed that it would again extend the health emergency for another 90 days, according to a declaration issued by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. The emergency has been renewed about a dozen times since it was implemented under the Trump administration in early 2020.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is over,” Guthrie wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “It’s long overdue to end the COVID-19 [public health emergency] and for President Biden to relinquish his emergency powers.”

Earlier in the speech, Biden effectively reiterated his September 2022 statement that “the pandemic is over.”

“While the virus is not gone, thanks to the resilience of the American people and the ingenuity of medicine, we have broken the COVID grip on us,” Biden said.

He continued: “Deaths are down by 90 percent. We’ve saved millions of lives and opened our country back up.”

Still, Democrats have persisted in calls to wait until May to rescind the declaration.

Biden also called on Congress to continue to fund COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

“We still need to monitor dozens of new variants and support new vaccines and treatments. Congress needs to fund these efforts and keep America safe,” Biden said.

The call comes as Republicans seek to wind down pandemic-era spending.