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Press Release Published: Apr 11, 2023

Fallon Announces Hearing on Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Within the Department of Energy

WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Economic Growth, Energy Policy, and Regulatory Affairs Chairman Pat Fallon (R-Texas) will hold a hearing titled “Spending on Empty: How the Biden Administration’s Unprecedented Spending Increased Risk of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at the Department of Energy.” This hearing will examine the Department of Energy’s (DOE) capability to safeguard taxpayer dollars at high risk of fraud, waste, and abuse in light of historic, unprecedented spending being funneled through the agency at the direction of the Biden Administration. In one instance, DOE awarded $200 million available under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to a lithium battery company despite the company’s primary operations taking place in China.

“The Oversight Committee is exposing what happens when massive checks by the federal government are rushed out the door into agencies with inadequate guardrails: rampant theft and misuse of taxpayer dollars. The recent report by the Department of Energy’s Office of Inspector General demonstrates the challenges to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in a federal agency suddenly flushed with funding. We must understand how DOE is overseeing its massive budget growth and why it is awarding taxpayer dollars to operations in China. I look forward to our witnesses helping us get to the bottom of these critically important issues and providing Congress with insights to further protect Americans’ tax dollars from waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement,” said Subcommittee Chairman Fallon.

WHAT: Hearing titled “Spending on Empty: How the Biden Administration’s Unprecedented Spending Increased Risk of Waste, Fraud, and Abuse at the Department of Energy”

DATE: Tuesday, April 18, 2023

TIME: 2:00 PM ET

LOCATION: 2154 Rayburn House Office Building

WITNESSES:

  • Ms. Teri L. Donaldson, Inspector General, Department of Energy
  • Dr. Kathleen Hogan, Principal Deputy Under Secretary for Infrastructure, Department of Energy

The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at https://oversight.house.gov/.

Read More:

Comer, Fallon Probe DOE’s Management of Billions of Taxpayer Dollars Allocated by Dems’ Massive Spending