Part 3/8:
In conjunction with this theme, the conversation transitioned to a recent hearing addressing various types of fraud related to unemployment, welfare, and Medicaid. Dagen, another panel member, underscored how bureaucrats promote a falsely reassuring narrative, claiming fraud rates in assistance programs are less than 1%. A testimony from a welfare fraud specialist revealed that the government allocates a mere fraction of a percent of the food stamp budget to fraud detection and enforcement. Dagen emphasized that this negligence arises from a fear of budget cuts, pointing out the problem of bureaucratic self-preservation trumping accountability.