Senator Pete Ricketts, US Senator for Nebraska | Sen. Pete Ricketts Official U.S. Senate headshot
Senator Pete Ricketts, US Senator for Nebraska | Sen. Pete Ricketts Official U.S. Senate headshot
U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) has introduced a bipartisan bill aimed at increasing transparency and accuracy in reporting improper payments by the federal government. The Improper Payments Transparency Act, co-sponsored with Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), seeks to address wasteful spending that continues to burden the national budget.
"Today, I introduced bipartisan legislation to require more transparent and more accurate data about the scope of improper payments," Ricketts stated during a conference call with Nebraska media. He highlighted the significant financial impact of improper payments, citing estimates from the Government Accountability Office (GAO). According to GAO, in Fiscal Year 2023 alone, $236 billion were classified as improper payments—payments that should not have been made or were made in incorrect amounts. In Fiscal Year 2024, agencies reported $161.5 billion of such payments.
Ricketts emphasized the importance of better reporting mechanisms: "My Improper Payments Transparency Act would require better reporting." He outlined that the proposed legislation mandates each executive agency's improper payment amounts and rates be included in the President’s budget along with explanations of yearly trends and summaries of corrective actions taken.
The senator underscored transparency as crucial for accountability: "Transparency is essential to watchfulness. Transparency brings accountability." He argued that Americans deserve clear data on how their tax dollars are being spent and stressed that improved transparency could lead to better fiscal decisions by Congress and ultimately save taxpayer money.
Ricketts noted that since 2003, GAO estimates indicate $2.7 trillion in improper payments have been made by the federal government. However, he suggested that this figure might underestimate the true cost due to non-reporting by some federal programs flagged for potential issues with improper payments.
In his closing remarks, Ricketts reinforced his commitment to ending wasteful spending: "It is time to find the mistakes, fix the problems, and save taxpayers money."
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