Obama to sign bill requiring agencies to recover billions in ‘improper payments’
By APThursday, July 22, 2010
Obama to sign ‘improper payments’ legislation
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama is preparing to sign a bill requiring federal agencies to be more vigilant about identifying and recovering billions of dollars lost annually to wasteful spending.
The White House says Obama also will announce during Thursday’s signing ceremony a goal of reducing such improper payments by $50 billion between now and 2012.
The bill is the latest effort by the Obama administration to get a handle on federal spending.
The White House says improper payments to individuals, organizations and contractors reached nearly $110 billion last year. Federal auditors found that tens of millions of dollars in benefits were paid to dead people, fugitives and others not eligible for such compensation.
