# Oversight Committee Releases Report on Rampant Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Pandemic Unemployment Relief Programs (Sept. 10, 2024) **Source URL:** https://oversight.house.gov/release/oversight-committee-releases-report-on-rampant-waste-fraud-and-abuse-in-pandemic-unemployment-relief-programs/ **Fetched (UTC):** 2026-09-18T00:24Z · **HTTP status:** 200 **Document date:** 2024-09-10 **Capture method:** WebFetch text extract (page converted to markdown and extracted; this file is a text extract of the page, not a byte copy of the served HTML/PDF — raw bytes were not retrievable from this lane, which had WebFetch access only). **Used by:** content/profiles/people/oversight/james-comer.md --- **Release title:** Oversight Committee Releases Report on Rampant Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in Pandemic Unemployment Relief Programs **Date:** September 10, 2024 **Staff report:** "Widespread Failures and Fraud in Pandemic Unemployment Relief Programs" **Issued by:** House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Government Operations and the Federal Workforce Subcommittee Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) Verbatim: Comer: "Democrats and the Biden-Harris Administration spent trillions of dollars under the guise of pandemic relief and the Oversight Committee's very first hearing this Congress exposed how this unchecked spending left taxpayer funds, including UI programs, vulnerable to significant waste, fraud, and abuse." "The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates 11 to 15 percent of total benefits paid during the pandemic were fraudulent, totaling between $100 to $135 billion." "The Department of Labor (DOL) Office of Inspector General (OIG) estimates that at least $191 billion in pandemic UI payments could have been improperly paid, with a significant portion attributable to fraud." Checked and not found on this page: the phrase "biggest fleecing of America in American history".