A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report has estimated that the federal government has lost a staggering $2.7 trillion in taxpayer funds because of fraud and other types of improper payments over the past two decades, underscoring a long-standing problem of safeguarding taxpayer funds.
The report, released on Sept. 10, indicates that these improper payments—funds disbursed incorrectly or fraudulently—pose a significant financial drain and are a major vulnerability in the government’s fiscal oversight. In 2023, improper payments across federal agencies amounted to $236 billion.
