Mid City Times

Washington D.C. - U.S. Representative Beth Van Duyne, Chairman of the House Committee on Small Business Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Regulations, celebrated today the House passage of her legislation aimed at improving the reporting process for fraudulent pandemic loans. In her statement, Congresswoman Van Duyne highlighted the importance of the bill in combating fraud, stating, "After the Small Business Administration (SBA) failed to implement basic safeguards to prevent fraud in pandemic lending programs intended to help America’s job creators, we saw scammers, foreign crime rings, and other nefarious actors benefit to the tune of $200 billion in fraudulent loans." She further explained, “I introduced H.R. 5426 to make it easier to identify and prosecute fraudsters by requiring the SBA to give Americans access to a streamlined fraud reporting process – something the Republican-led House Committee on Small Business accomplished last year. I’m grateful to have passed my bill to help hold those accountable who defrauded the U.S. government and took advantage of a pandemic to enrich themselves.”

Congresswoman Van Duyne was joined by Congressman Greg Landsman (D-Ohio) in introducing H.R. 5426, which was advanced by the House Committee on Small Business on September 14, 2023, and passed the House by voice vote on February 29, 2024. The bill aims to address the loopholes that allowed fraudulent activities to occur in pandemic relief programs.