Issue brief
Procurement and Improper Payments
How do we cut waste without denying lawful benefits?
Our position
Publish procurement performance, conflicts, overruns, audit findings, and recoveries. Separate fraud from improper payments. Require notice, reasons, review, and correction in automated denial systems.
Why it matters
Savings obtained by incorrectly denying lawful benefits are not competent administration.
Evidence
O06 reports $186B FY2025 improper payments across 64 programs—without establishing that every dollar is fraud or recoverable.
Strongest objection
A balanced-budget slogan cannot substitute for a full multi-year projection and recovery method.
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