Gallagher Statement on Report Tying Pandemic Fraud to CCP

WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI), a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement in response to a NBC news report that revealed hackers linked to the Chinese Communist Party stole at least $20 million in U.S. COVID relief benefits.

“This new evidence makes clear that CCP hackers have defrauded U.S. government programs and stolen money from the American taxpayer. Even worse, this is neither the first nor the last time Chinese hackers will target U.S. institutions. The lack of interest from Congressional Democrats on pandemic related fraud and on flagrant state-sponsored cyberattacks is baffling. When the Republicans are in the majority next Congress, we must properly investigate the theft of COVID benefits, which experts are calling the largest case of fraud carried out against the United States in American history."

While reports surfaced last year claiming up to $400 billion in pandemic relief may have been stole by cyber criminals, this report is the first in which the U.S. government has publicly acknowledged pandemic fraud was tied to a state-sponsored cybercriminal.

Last year, following reports of fraud, Rep. Gallagher led members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation to:

• Ask Governor Tony Evers what he was doing to prevent unemployment fraud, and
• Ask the U.S. Department of Labor to determine any waste, fraud, and abuse in Wisconsin's distribution of pandemic unemployment relief.