House Commerce Republicans Demand Accountability on Biden’s Massive Spending and Inflation Agenda

House Commerce Committee Chair Cathy Rodgers (R-WA) and Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA), along with the chairs of the subcommittee of jurisdiction, wrote letters to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Energy (DOE), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), requesting a full accounting of how they’ve spent taxpayer dollars. The Chairs specifically requested funding information from: the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the CHIPS and Science Act, and the  Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), including but not limited to: 

1. The total amount of funding from each Act that has been obligated to date.

2. A list of each financial award funded, in part or in full, by these laws, including the following information for each award:

a.    All recipients for which funding has been expended.

b.    All recipients for which funding has been obligated.

c.     The amount of funding that has been obligated for each recipient.

d.    A description of the project funded.

e.    The type of award (i.e., grant, loan, etc.).

3. The number, job title, compensation, and duties of any employees, contractors, or consultants who have been hired or engaged using the funding, in whole or in part.

4. An accounting of the funds that have not yet been obligated.

The request to the FCC includes an accounting of:

• $98 million to implement the Broadband DATA Act, as well as the status of the broadband map development;
• $450 million for the COVID-19 telehealth program;
• $3.2 billion for the Emergency Broadband Benefit;
• $7.17 billion for the Emergency Connectivity Fund program; and
• $14.2 billion for the Affordable Broadband Benefit.

The request to the NTIA includes an accounting of:

• $300 million for the Broadband Infrastructure Program 
• $3 billion for tribal broadband deployment 
• $285 million for the Connecting Minority Communities Program
• $42.45 billion for the Broadband, Equity, Accessibility, and Deployment (BEAD) Program
• $2.75 billion for digital equity grants
• $1 billion for middle mile infrastructure

A reply is requested by March 16.