US government sent nearly $1.4b to dead Americans as part of virus response: Watchdog

The US government sent nearly $1.4 billion to deceased Americans as part of its response to the coronavirus pandemic, a government watchdog says.

A blunt review of the shortcomings in federal response to the pandemic showed that the government also collected incomplete and inconsistent virus-testing data.

The report, which was issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Thursday, also made recommendations to lawmakers how to better respond to the crisis.

According to the report, the US government had sent stimulus checks worth approximately $1.4 billion to dead Americans as of the end of April, highlighting challenges the government faces in ensuring funds are properly spent.

“The number of economic impact payments going to decedents highlights the importance of consistently using key safeguards in providing government assistance to individuals,” the watchdog said.

The report also criticized the Small Business Administration (SBA), which oversees a $670 billion emergency loan program to help companies during the pandemic, noting there was a lack of a plan from the Department of Transportation to ameliorate the aviation sector’s response to outbreaks.

The data collected sometimes included antibody tests that detect prior infections or sometimes counts on the number of samples tested, which could include several tests for one person, according to the GAO.

“The absence of complete and consistent COVID-19 testing data reported through May 31, 2020, has made it more difficult to track and know the infection rate, mitigate the effect of infections, and inform decisions on reopening communities,” the watchdog said.

The US government has also failed to draw up a national aviation-preparedness plan for infectious diseases.

“While the Department of Transportation agreed that a plan is needed, as of May 2020, no such plan had been developed,” the watchdog said.

In its criticism of the SBA, the watchdog said it failed to provide detailed descriptions of loans made in its data, and that it did not outline plans to review loans worth less than $2 million.

“We encountered the most difficulty trying to obtain information from the Small Business Administration (SBA),” said the watchdog. “SBA to date has failed to provide information critical to our review.”

The watchdog said the US government has set aside $2.6 trillion to combat the pandemic, but spending so far is unclear as all agencies will report their expenditures after July 2020.

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