WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Small Business Administration Inspector General and Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) Chairman William W. Kirk welcomed Treasury’s announcement of expanded fraud prevention and payment verification safeguards, emphasizing the importance of a whole-of-government approach to protecting taxpayer dollars. Treasury reported expanding access to Do Not Pay data and screening approximately $3.7 trillion in federal payments during fiscal year 2026.
“Protecting taxpayer dollars requires us to identify fraud risks before funds go out the door,” said Kirk. “Treasury’s announced progress represents an important step in moving from ‘pay and chase’ to prevention. As SBA Inspector General and PRAC Chairman, I support this governmentwide effort and am committed to ensuring our oversight work helps agencies strengthen safeguards, identify risks early, and prevent losses.”
SBA OIG’s oversight of pandemic assistance programs illustrates the importance of early screening and effective follow-through. In its management alert on Paycheck Protection Program recipients identified through Treasury’s Do Not Pay data, SBA OIG collaborated with Treasury’s Do Not Pay Business Center to identify loans to potentially ineligible recipients and recommended stronger screening before awards and payments.
The PRAC’s Blueprint for Enhanced Program Integrity reinforces complementary principles, including strong internal controls, access to data, verification of applicant identity and eligibility, and coordinated oversight across government. These principles support efforts to prevent fraud while ensuring assistance reaches eligible recipients.
“Our contribution is to turn oversight findings into fraud prevention,” Kirk said. “By sharing lessons learned, identifying vulnerabilities, and working across organizational boundaries, inspectors general and the PRAC help strengthen the government’s defenses against fraud. We welcome Treasury’s reported progress and will continue doing our part alongside our federal, state, and local partners.”
According to Treasury, approximately 99 percent of federal programs can now access the Do Not Pay data sources for which they are legally authorized, compared with approximately 4 percent at the end of fiscal year 2025. Treasury also reported screening more than 1.1 billion federal payments totaling approximately $3.7 trillion during fiscal year 2026.
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