Empower Oversight Helps Lead Letter of Support for Legislation Authored by Senator Chuck Grassley
WASHINGTON — Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research (EMPOWR) today endorsed the Administrative False Claims Act (AFCA), bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) that will make it easier for the federal government to effectively combat more common instances of fraud.
EMPOWR joined six government accountability organizations, all part of the Make It Safe Coalition (MISC), in sending a letter applauding the introduction of AFCA.
“The False Claims Act is America’s most effective anti-corruption law, but as a practical matter it only has been relevant for the most outlandish cases of fraud in government contracts,” write the groups. “The AFCA bill would expand the scope of accountability to the full scope of corruption.”
The legislation raises the statutory ceiling on these types of claims from $150,000 to $1 million, expands the number of U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) officials who can review these claims and allows the government to recoup costs for investigating and prosecuting these frauds. In FY2020, DOJ recovered more than $2.2 billion through these type of cases. The bill is cosponsored by Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).