Cicero Institute(@InstituteCicero):$1.3 TRILLION in improper payments has been reported by federal agencies from 2020 to 2025, per GAO. Under federal law, an "improper payment" includes: •Payments that should not have been made •Payments in the wrong amount •Payments to ineligible recipients •Duplicate payments •Payments for goods or services never received GAO estimates the government loses between $233 and $521 BILLION every year to fraud alone — a figure Treasury Secretary Bessent has cited as up to 10% of the entire federal budget. The fix: radical transparency — track every dollar and outcome in public, set clear metrics, audit performance, claw back misspent funds, and shift resources to what works.

2026.09.02 21:38

$1.3 TRILLION in improper payments has been reported by federal agencies from 2020 to 2025, per GAO. Under federal law, an "improper payment" includes: •Payments that should not have been made •Payments in the wrong amount •Payments to ineligible recipients •Duplicate payments •Payments for goods or services never received GAO estimates the government loses between $233 and $521 BILLION every year to fraud alone — a figure Treasury Secretary Bessent has cited as up to 10% of the entire federal budget. The fix: radical transparency — track every dollar and outcome in public, set clear metrics, audit performance, claw back misspent funds, and shift resources to what works.