Government Makes Another $98 Billion in Improper Payments

The federal government made $98 billion in questionable payments to contractors and individuals last year, the Obama administration said Tuesday, a sharp increase from the previous year.

That’s from a Washington Post blog by Michael Fletcher last night.

The Administration deserves credit for being the one to break this kind of news, especially as it comes on the heels of reports that the Administration reported “jobs” created in Congressional districts that don’t exist…as well as jobs that don’t exist. Also, White House Budget Director Peter Orzag’s explanation for the mistaken payments has some merit.  Well, at least the first part:

Orszag said Tuesday night that new, stricter government methodology for identifying outlays is behind the sharp rise in improper payments, as is the large increase in federal spending to response to the deep economic downturn.

If the “large increase in federal spending” has caused this sharp rise in mistaken payments, do you think, maybe, I don’t know, we should rein back the “large increase in federal spending”?

Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Subcommittee on Federal Fiscal Management…said in a statement. "It goes without saying that these results would be completely unacceptable in the private sector, as they should be in government."

Yes, they would be completely unacceptable in the private sector. In government, it’s just par for the course.