Monday, October 2, 2023

Congress Calls for Federal TANF Investigation

State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement. 

Following State Auditor Shad White’s testimony to Congress this summer about his office uncovering the Mississippi welfare scandal, the U.S. House Ways & Means Committee have called on the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) to “conduct an investigation into the use of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) fund.”

 

“The Committee’s concerns are exemplified by headlines in Mississippi,” wrote Chairmen Jason Smith and Darin LaHood. “At the July 12 hearing, Mr. White testified how critical welfare dollars were used for advertising at a college bowl game, provided to celebrities where no work product was delivered, paid family members of government officials, paid for down payments on homes, iPads for personal use, speeding tickets, and used to rent a field for a private travel softball team. We are concerned that the Mississippi case is emblematic of a systemic problem.”

 

The congressional request now heads to the GAO, which is the lead federal agency for providing fact-based, non-partisan information to the rest of the federal government.

 

During his testimony in July, Auditor White told members of Congress that the welfare fraud his team uncovered could be happening elsewhere due to lack of safeguards. To strengthen those safeguards, White recommended the federal Department of Health and Human Services:

  • Require state agency heads to sign statements under penalty of perjury about the number of people served by welfare,
  • Punish state agencies that fail to properly monitor nonprofits receiving welfare grants,
  • Report improper spending to Congress, and
  • Implement stricter eligibility criteria for TANF funds so that only the truly needy are eligible.

 

“Federal prosecutors, who will decide who faces any remaining criminal charges in our welfare case, are currently deliberating about their next steps, but while they wait, I hope the GAO and federal lawmakers can come together to make TANF more resistant to fraud,” said Auditor White.

 

Read the full letter to the GAO here. 

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am on welfare and I forgave Brett for his dealings in this after I received my apology dick pic. He really didn’t have to do that but he really stepped up. https://www.theonion.com/brett-favre-makes-amends-by-sending-photo-of-his-penis-1849598075

Anonymous said...

@5:41
That tiny lil thing was enough for you?

Anonymous said...

Inviting the feds to further investigate might turn out to bite Shadrack in the ass!

His 'front and center stage' persona is going to be his downfall.

Spots a Gobbler said...

Looks like 5:41 is a fan of The Onion and Penises.

Anonymous said...

Congressional hearings = the opportunity for Congress-critters to get some TV face time for the folks back home to make them think that their "rep. in Washington" is actually doing something.

Anonymous said...

Why does Shad get to do a press release for Congress?

Anonymous said...

"Why does Shad get to do a press release for Congress?"

He didn't need permission...it's called politics. But he sure did swoop in to take credit for it like a political champ! It's all just Shad tapdancing as fast as he can hoping he isn't indicted along with Phil.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget about the volleyball court, Shad.

Anonymous said...

One thing even the Phil and Tater haters have to admit, Mississippi and the taxpayers got a real bargain when they hired Favre...just look how much Tom Brady charges to pimp a product!!!

Bankman-Fried agreed to pay Tom Brady $55 million for 20 hours of his time—and Gisele $20 million—before FTX collapsed https://fortune.com/crypto/2023/10/02/sam-bankman-fried-tom-brady-gisele-bundchen-michael-lewis-60-minutes/

Anonymous said...

"We are concerned that the Mississippi case is emblematic of a systemic problem.” = I'm planning to run for President in 2032, and to earn your vote I'll be finding ALL the welfare fraud and petty theft perpetrated by the little people.

Anonymous said...

Just would like to point out since the press release mentions it several times. The State Auditor's office did not uncover the fraud. There was a whistleblower. They didn't uncover anything as part of an agency audit of DHS, they got the info from a whistleblower hoping to save his own hide. They then investigated and found out how far it went but to claim they uncovered it is taking it a little far. Honestly, it is almost impossible to discover fraud unless you have a whistleblower.

Anonymous said...

How long does Jim Hood office get a pass. they signed off on the volleyball construction. His office looked the other way on Sheriff Bailey. I mean do we just Hassel people that are republicans.

Anonymous said...

"Honestly, it is almost impossible to discover fraud unless you have a whistleblower."

This may be true if your department doesn't have the discipline in-place to follow sign-off procedures, record keeping requirements, and 3rd party auditing schedules.

Anonymous said...

@9:48

A better question is: How long does Lynn Fitch's office get a pass? She's done precisely nothing despite being the top law enforcement agency in the state.

Anonymous said...

@ 10:10

It's called Management override of controls. You override the controls and auditors are there to audit numbers they are not looking for fraud nor testing enough items to detect fraud, it is explicitly stated in engagement letters and communications to those charged with governance.

Anonymous said...

how about just get rid of the whole TANF program . once its abolished there is nothing to steal.



or is that just too simple?

Anonymous said...

@11:27

Of course it’s not that simple. The theft is occurring everywhere, it’s systemic. Shutting down TANF doesn’t stop the theft everywhere else.

Frank Griffin said...

Not only does the Auditor not get well-earned praise from you losers, he is attacked for being . . . wait for it . . . a politician!

Elsewhere here most of us express thanks that the Feds are now running Jackson's heretofore pitiful Water and Sewer departments. I suggest that we should be thanking Shad White for getting the Feds to go after the miscreants involved in the TANF scandal, even if it has repercussions in the Governor's office or in his own office. I've been around for a lot of scandals in Mississippi history, but this is far and away the worst. Scum of the earth stuff.

Anonymous said...

6:48p is spot on. Shad is the guy who wants to help you find the keys “you misplaced” but actually they are in his pocket the whole time. His supporters are the ones on the ground looking underneath the car.

Ben Allen said...

Why are all you people beating up on Shad White constantly? He is without question, the best state auditor we have ever had. I don't get it. Are you jealous? Small? Simple? Envious of his educational pedigree? I swear to Buddha I don't get it. He is handling TANF exactly as he should. Hell, according to THIS WEBSITE and others, the FEDS have just passed through Congress authorization to investigate. SMDH.

Trouble Down In The Land Mass said...

This has been national news for three years and now congress is calling for an investigation? If Bennie and Pelosi had not been busy chasing their own tails for three years, hoping to find something on Trump, they might have noticed.

Anonymous said...

All the congress critters need to do is get their investigation rolling before the federal indictments drop.

5 year statute of limitations for most federal felonies absent any tolling, so it could start to get interesting by the end of the year!

Anonymous said...

Most of us Country fools don’t understand how Government works, now just because it’s headline news doesn’t mean it’s in real-time. You got to have a G 12 classification or higher than Top Secret to decipher what’s real or not. That’s what Trump means by fake news. Not really fake news! It a code word meaning something else! I know it’s hard to follow!

Now Shad is the man he knows what he is doing. Just give him time and he will make us proud!

On this TANF shebalkel the code word (steal governments money) is not for the public’s ears. Someone snitched, and snitches get stiches!

This ain’t making sense, is it?

What I’m really saying is let the Government do their jobs cause they’re here to help us, I mean themselves!

Now y’all know we cannot continue to keep voting in office, people that don’t have the people of Mississippi’s best interests in mind.
If I think of anything else, I take another sip of that ole Smokey sour watermelon moonshine

Good night, dang honey I’m coming to bed

PS don’t take this politics too serious, they been stealing money for years! Just these young bucks tell everything! Ain’t no loyalty among thieves no more.

Anonymous said...

IF Shad engineered these two Congressmen to request the investigation of the entire TANF Program - whether we like it or not - it would be political genius.

By pointing out how - say, 20 other governors were doing the same thing - it absolves Phil to some degree in the public's eye... again, politically. (i.e. "But everyone was doing it!")

Now, whether prosecutors want heads to actually roll is a mystery unfortunately - Phil's or all 49 other Governors who're ultimately responsible as the stewards of federal dollars.

Anonymous said...

9:17 PM - I believe I recognize your writing style from elsewhere on the Jambalaya blog-page.

But, please continue to do you, regardless of how disjointed your posts are.

Anonymous said...

Getting to where I cannot stand his arrogance.

Anonymous said...

Maybe now, finally the Feds will take a serious look at Bryan, his staff and family, and their roles in all of this…


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