Senator Chuck Grassley is calling for better oversight of a $9.6 billion program that was designed to assist homeowners who suffered during the housing crisis after a 2016 audit revealed widespread waste and abuse in spending. He says the Nevada state agency charged with overseeing the Hardest Hit Fund has displayed a sense of entitlement and a lack of appreciation, taking funds from homeowners in the program who needed their help. Grassley called for a review of the Troubled Asset Relief Program by the Special Inspector General, which then revealed $3 million in unnecessary expense to the Hardest Hit Fund, including barbecues, gift cards, a new customer center, bonuses, picnics and more. “Congress didn’t intend this program for bureaucrats to live high on the hog,” Grassley says, “yet the bureaucrats in question did exactly that. Three million dollars might sound like decimal dust to those who write big checks at the Treasury Department,” Grassley adds, “but it’s a lot of money for people struggling to keep their homes.” He says the agencies who spent that money need to pay it back to the American taxpayers, and it is up to the Treasury Department to see that it happens. Grassley is adamant, saying there are no excuses for letting this one slide.
