“A massive abuse of taxpayer dollars not only occurred under President [Joe] Biden’s watch, but was effectively incentivized by his administration’s failure to implement strong financial controls resulting in billions’ worth of potential improper payments,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement.

“HUD will continue investigating the shocking results and will take appropriate action to hold bad actors accountable. Additionally, the Department is advancing efforts made under President [Donald] Trump’s first administration to strengthen program integrity and ensure taxpayer-funded assistance serves the vulnerable communities it was intended for,” he added.

The government possibly made about $50 million in payments that do not match tenant records, $77 million to deceased tenants, $250 million to recipients with improper Social Security numbers, and $287 million to those with excessively high rents.

The majority of the improper payments were made to businesses that had not been validated to do business with the federal government. Those payments totaled around $5.2 billion.

HUD noted that it will improve processes going forward.

“HUD will continue to implement new processes to track how Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) and HUD-funded grantees spend the funds they receive, ensuring efficiency, transparency, and accountability at every level,” the department said.

HUD SECRETARY NONCOMMITTAL ON STATUS OF 50-YEAR MORTGAGE PROPOSAL

Improper payments have been an issue that the Trump administration has been looking to solve, although they aren’t unique to the Biden administration.

An independent watchdog report last week found more than $200 million in Medicaid program payments were made to dead people from 2021 to 2022. Aner Sanchez, deputy regional inspector general in the Office of Audit Services, told the Associated Press that “improper payments are not unique to one state, and the issue continues to be persistent.”