The support also highlights problems the delivery of Economic Impact damage from authorized by the cares act. They were designed to ship of americans and get back on their feet quickly. But according to every student estimate, they still not, they can with 12 million in payments. Nearly three months after Congress Passed the cares act. As a result, many vulnerable americans have yet to read see these critical funds. The American People deserve to know how the money is being spent and if our government is doing all that they can to protect them from the coronavirus pandemic. I am deeply troubled by the findings. That the administration is seeking to evade accountability by undermining their oversight efforts. Make no mistake, the administrations refusal to cooperate with the gao is part of a broader effort to undermine evade, and ignore effective oversight during this pandemic. The administration is moved the inspectors general and without basic Information Congress issued an accurate legal opinions to try to keep billions of dollars in spending a secret. The america people deserve better. Only make something clear. Troubles of this oversight is not to cast blame but to make the comments for future success. The goals of this select committee are the same the goals of the administration rated to save american lives and leather goods. Message to be administration business. We want to help you succeed these goals. And this time of crisis, i sincerely hope of our colleagues in both sides of the oils as well as members of the Trump Administration will recognize the value of being with each other, and with the American People. The start for brady cooperating the gao is acquired by law. I am grateful mr. Corrado for appearing here today and to all the dedicated professionals in gao. These unprecedented times, and gal has risen to the challenge to help us ensure the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic is efficient, effective and equitable, and transparent. Although yield. Thank you mr. Chairman and i appreciate your comments especially this is something that we have been asking for for a long time. Members will slowly edges the ability to interact in person, any Committee Setting in public social distance while allowing us to do a business near as much more effective and gives us much more the ability to get the proper oversight we expect the people of this entry deserve. On begin by thanking pj a alfaro producing an initial report of the federal governments response for the covid19 pandemic it is so chart. Time. An analysis of the largest vessels relief effort in americas history while the relief effort is still being implemented is a huge task. The absence of important insights and recommendations but we should all recognize the limitations of this. We ask in fact we demanded that the federal government built plane metlife. Gao report is intended us so before that plane is even winded. The start from the beginning. The Chinese Communist party actively engaged in a coverup. And suppress doctors and journalists who attempted to walk the world about a novel deadly virus. Senior chinese leaders knew of weeks before it was announced. During critical period in december and january china withheld evidence of the virus. Evidence that confirms human to human transmission of the virus. Of the spread, china refused entry up of american the medical experts from around the world for weeks. During this time, china ordered medical supplies like mass entails another lifesaving ppe. Chinese exports of surgical masks and gloves were stifled by the Chinese Communist party during this period in china new the danger posed by the virus and while they hid the truth, use this vital time to stock up on the vibes of medical supplies. By the chinese authorities limited the cities. Chinas government urged International Carrier to maintain their flight schedules. Seating the virus throughout the rest of the world. The World Health Organization said as late as january 23rd, this is an emergency and china but is not yet become a Global Health emergency. At this time there is no evidence of human to human transmission outside china. The who exists to stop pendants. Paul and to trust the experts all china was hoarding the ppe and sending infected patients are the rules of the who misled the world police ossuary. This committee scaling its mission to be dealt old china and the who accountable for these facts that they withheld from america and the rest of the world the cause tens and thousands of deaths just in this country alone read sadly me know quickly the virus spread in america. The first step is february 29th and inform us of the super 120,000 of our family friends, neighbors. Knaus passed the first covid19 package march 4th. Five days after the first reported death. I was president bill march 14th. 27 thought the president signed the cares act rated together these bills represent the largest relief efforts in american history. Our real economy shut down. Overnight millions of the market at risk of losing their jobs. Chinas those behind, does it invest like demanded speed. They conceded. 4. 5 million ppe loans totaling over 500 billion in just three months. Theres no sheaves in size from including large banks of community bank, Credit Unions as lopez participated in this program. More than 5400 lenders have participated today. We should fear testimony that millions of Small Businesses who were saved by the ppe. It is smashing success. Given the speed we demanded in the overwhelming in any program, is always mistakes made and lessons to be learned. Gao report finds that the reliance on applicant Self Certification, but the ppe program vulnerable to exploitation. Nestor chairman, they chose to rely on Self Certification because of the need to expeditiously provide loans to Small Businesses. Congress demanded the speed. When he would have preferred them to take months to design the mistakes free program while millions of Small Businesses and tens of millions of workers lost everything they had in their lives. I appreciate them reviewing the program and making recommendations. Each of us to take seriously those recommendations pretty but that partisan attacks seem to imply that the Trump Administration should have slowed down the ppe pride that goes against everything we all voted on. Every democrat and republican who voted for the cares act shows speed over transfection. We didnt have that luxury. The millions of families who been saved from this program wouldve died on defined waiting for some perfectly run federal program which i would love to see an example that. The gao says that hhs experience substantial challenges. With this initial covid19 response. Over hundred years a hitter sure sadly because china lied and covered up the danger. Yes. I agree a great they were faced with historic challenges. An congresses by the way did not do an adequate job of keeping the National Stockpiles of life. And then we face charges hoarding. But look at what american has accomplished. If more than 20 million tests with covid19 have been performed in the United States. So many now the summer complaining about all of the positive covid19 responses that we are saying. After they demanded more desperate we have more tests, we have more positives pretty that was something everybody knew what happens. Most days now were conducting over 500,000 tester date. And were expanding their capacity. Delivered over 25 million swabs to support the blueprint. As of june 17th, fema and the private sectors combined corn art coordinated of over hundred and 15,000,095 respirators. And 16 billion gloves. Fema foreign aid to ships of the 14 day supply of personal protective equipment to over 15000 medicare certified Nursing Homes. The something we need to investigate further. This shipment, are meant to supplement existing efforts to provide equipment to Nursing Homes. But accomplished a great amount in a short amount of time. We need the efforts in therapy, vaccines and to move forward at warp speed. Thankfully the Trump Administration has launched operation warp speed to find these therapies. Congress needs to be a partner not an obstacle to the success of operation warp speed. House democrats, bring a drug price control bill to the floor next monday. They said that your plane would actually reduce the creation of lifesaving drugs. The council of economic advisers said that number could be up to 100 or fire lifesaving drugs not brought to market if the billy one bring next week aspirated never good time to stifle this. But this seems to be in an thinkable time to be pursued policies of slow down the development of vaccine. Coming on Speaker Pelosi to pull was built from further consideration on monday. We do not need to be slowing down the search for a cure. We still need to hold hearing on pulling china accountable while this committee spent so much im trying to find things that went wrong, i should also highlight some of the things we did well like the ppe which saved thousands of lives millions of jobs. We should join together who issued deadly nursing home orders going at the federal guidelines, finally complaint with the demands that we sent forward to turn of the data so that we can actually have transparency and accountability for the tens of thousands of seniors who died unnecessarily Nursing Homes because its governors violated the federal guidelines for the help to search for those answers. I yelled back. Thank you. Our witness today, mr. Jean. The witness stand so i can swear him in. Understand me the others who testify today. Would like to be sworn in as well. The director for the Financial Markets rated and nicole. Managing director of the healthcare team. Plus with a view to step forward. Thank you. Please raise your right hands. Your swear or affirm the testimony youre about to give ms. The truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you god. Let the record show that all three witnesses answered in the affirmative. You may be seated. Without objections, other written statements will be made directly. That, now recognized for your testimony. Thank you. Good morning to you. Members of the subcommittee. Im very pleased to be here today to talk about the First Comprehensive assessment of the legislation the congress swiftly passed in the ministrations been working hard to implement. We determined that the first two months after the legislation was passed, there was 1. 2 trillion of assistance provided. In the former of almost 700 billion in direct spending and over 500 billion in loan guarantees. Now this assistance was accompanied by a lot of dedication and agility by various segments of our society. The heroic efforts may bar healthcare workers across the country. There is significant efforts were forwarded to the federal workforce. To implement this legislation. State and local governments and others made valuable contributions and continued to do so and with regard to the federal agencies, they give a high priority given the urgency of healthcare needs and severe economic downturn to move swiftly and validate the funds as we point out in our reports. There were tradeoffs that were made. Now reports designed to help them make some good cores good directions with regard to the tradeoffs. But as a consequence, they made Good Progress in distributing the money but only limited progress in ensuring in meeting this transparency and accountability bowls. Now report provides a comprehensive assessment across the entire federal government. But this morning my opening comment, just focus on those areas that i think our initial recommendations for improvements focus on. First is the ppe programs. I agree that they made swift allegations and setting up a nationwide program. In distributing the money. But there were some issues that i think need to be attended to very quickly. So our recommendation is a lot of confusion with the program. It was implemented the stream of frequently asked questions and guidance of their is some confusion still remains with the program. But all things in, any another site plan to ensure that the funds are safeguarded. Theres already some indications of fraud in the program. I pleased to report to the administrator, last night. An agreed to give us the information that we needed. In order to go forward somewhere in the process of finalizing arrangements for that. I would place i also offered to help them as they design their oversight and monitoring plans and she accepted my agreement. On the environment insurance area, the states are struggling to implement the programs, and the need for traditional staffing. However there is a potential problem. The overlap between Unemployment Benefits and employees who may have under the Paycheck Protection Program that were not paying people twice. We recommend they get guidance in a grade they will get guidance for the irs and the treasury Inspector General in the Tax Administration identified 1. 4 million payments of 1. 4 billion of aid that was provided to the deceased we recommend that the irs takes more measured to get the money back. They have done so. We also recommend Congress Give treasury the authority on Social Security administration so they can prevent these payments for being made. Not just here but across the federal governments activities. We also recommend that congress require that department of transportation to develop a National Aviation security plan for the communicable diseases. We recommended this in 2015 and so far theres not a plan because of bureaucratic wrangling by his responsible about his developing. The vessel in which aspirants will spread around the world, to quickly came through our Transportation System and always be behind the and thus become a National Aviation skinny planets coordinated and International Norms to protect safety in that area. So mr. Chairman, as i conclude my statement, on assure this committee that i want to continue to focus on this to meet her statutory responsibilities and report every two months. Also have about 40 audits underway now. So pleased they took the time to focus on a report and we look forward to working with congress. In the administration to make sure that these programs are prospectively and efficiently implemented to the benefit of the American People. In our economy. Thank you very much. Thank you for much for your testimony. We will now go into q a. Each member will be granted five minutes. The mate recognize myself for five minutes. According to your report, federal governments 677 billion in response to the hispanic is may 31st 2020. Without much money at stake, robust and sustained oversight is essential. If the executive branch cooperates did question is, why is it so important for the Trump Administration to cooperate with the gaos oversight. Two fundamental reasons. One will want to make sure we fairly represent their views and all the things they considered in carrying out this legislation. Our goal is to always provide a balance of fair comprehensive picture and secondly, we need the information in order to make our assessments. The data are critical to the analysis in the hearing out our responsibilities. So without the data, theres a totally incomplete picture. And what weve had. And i would note that in april, right after the legislation was passed my similar to all the departments and agencies the federal government. Explaining the fact that we were going to be doing realtime auditing. In monthly briefings to the congress and by monthly reports to the congress that we needed their cooperation. By and large we get the cooperation across the vast range of the federal agencies in the departments. Some of the irs commissioners made himself and his deputies available. And other agencies were very helpful. Thats one of the largest relief programs and its one in the history of the country. And it has failed to provide information critical to our review. Want to take a minute for that sba for its impact on the gao efforts to prevent ways tried and abuse in the ppe program. Two categories the most significant was access to the database and those characteristics we still dont know the what information they collect and with those other financial agents have so we were not able to do an analysis other than the data that they provided hopefully on their website as to aggregate data of Different Industries and different sizes of the loans. But we dont have the specific data yet. And this is why we said what we did. I listed support for members of congress on a bipartisan basis to encourage them and those efforts i believe have paid off. We didnt have it to do this report and secondly we didnt have access to the key Program People people were busy across the government to make time with us so they did make they were the ones we really wanted to talk to so now those officials have been made available otherwise we cant Tell Congress specifically what type of Companies Got this assistance risk analysis of what the potential may be for inflated applications misrepresenting the information they are pursuing a lot of investigations alr