[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 41 (Thursday, March 7, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2267-S2268]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                    Environmental Protection Agency

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I come to the floor to discuss with my 
colleagues the fact that Agencies of the Federal Government aren't very 
insightful to make sure that taxpayers' money is spent properly and 
also to say how they are not cooperating with the constitutional 
responsibility of Congress to make sure the money is spent in a legal 
way.
  In this case, I am here to talk about the Environmental Protection 
Agency.
  On April 13, I began an investigation into an EPA program called the 
Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative 
Agreement Program. Now that is quite a name, isn't it?
  On February 22 of this year, I issued a preliminary report on my 
investigation. That EPA program dishes out millions of taxpayer dollars 
to left-leaning nonprofits. The funding is from President Biden's 
American Rescue Plan, which was opposed by Senate Republicans.
  According to the EPA, the purpose of this environmental justice 
program is to address environmental and public health issues in 
underserved communities.
  As part of that program, the EPA sent 34 individual nonprofits a 
combined $4.3 million, with each receiving up to $200,000.
  I think the money was meant to be spent for the purpose of improving 
the environment--and I don't have any trouble with that--but I think 
you will see that the grantees didn't use the money for what it was 
intended for.
  Now, I wrote to all 34 grantees because I wanted to know how they 
spent that taxpayer money. I wrote to the EPA because I wanted to know 
how it was conducting oversight of that spending. You see, it isn't 
only Congress that has a responsibility to see that the money is spent 
responsibly and according to Congress's will, but it is also up to 
these Agencies to make sure that they spend the money accordingly.
  It is a pretty simple request. I want EPA to show their work, how the 
taxpayers' money is being spent. Well, this EPA, apparently, to them 
that question is just too much for them to handle.
  So guess what happened after I sent the oversight letters. The EPA 
interfered and told these 34 grantees that they--meaning the EPA--would 
handle the Grassley request. This led many grantees to refuse 
compliance with any congressional oversight request and also obstruct 
my efforts of getting answers for the taxpayers.
  Some grantees were so emboldened by EPA's obstructive conduct that 
they sent my staff emails. And this is just one example of the emails:

       We report to EPA and they're responding on our behalf. You 
     can make your request to them. We won't be responding 
     further. Don't contact us any further.

  That is how they treat this Senator doing his constitutional 
responsibilities, and, obviously, you can tell by that quote that this 
is very much obstruction.
  What the Biden EPA has done is to obstruct a core constitutional 
requirement of the Congress; that is, knowing how appropriated taxpayer 
money is being used by the executive branch. Moreover, the EPA couldn't 
even respond on behalf of grantees, and it is pretty simple because the 
EPA doesn't even possess the records that I was requesting from the 
nonprofits. That is a whole different problem for the EPA.
  Specifically I asked grantees--and this is a quote from my letter:


[[Page S2268]]


  

       Provide all records showing how the taxpayer money your 
     organization received was spent. In your production, please 
     provide a financial summary showing what the taxpayer money 
     was spent on.

  Amazingly, the EPA can't fulfill this request for grantees because, 
at this point in the life cycle of the grant, it doesn't possess the 
records that show how taxpayer money has been spent.
  Accordingly, except for my asking these questions, the EPA wouldn't 
have possessed these records at this point in the grant program. The 
EPA only has financial records showing how much money the grantees had 
drawn down from the overall grant.
  The EPA emailed my staff this:

       At the current stage in the grant process, this is the only 
     document detailing financial progress that grantees are 
     required to submit to the Agency.

  For context, the ``only document'' referred to by the EPA doesn't 
show how, and on what, taxpayer money was being spent by each grantee.
  Now, that is beyond embarrassing. It is a disgrace and a slap in the 
face to the taxpayers who worked so hard for their money that the EPA 
has failed to track their money. The EPA is throwing taxpayers' money 
around without a care in the world.
  My preliminary oversight report also found that some of the projects 
didn't even pass the smell test. For example, grantees that did respond 
to us reported projects like empathetic listening training, tree walk-
and-talks, making musical presentations to their communities, and 
buying clothing. And it turns out the lion's share of the money, so 
far, is being used for more salaries of the people who are on the 
nonprofit payroll and also other employee benefits.

  Many of the 34 grantees were unable to provide records showing how 
much money their projects could cost. Some were able to provide those 
records I asked for. Then why didn't all of the grantees? Well, I 
think, going back to what I previously said, the EPA said you didn't 
have to answer.
  I think the taxpayers have a right to know these financial details. 
With America suffering from record inflation and being forced to make 
difficult financial decisions, the EPA's obstructive conduct toward the 
Congress and the EPA's weak and incompetent oversight all are insults 
to the American taxpayer.
  To make it worse, the EPA program I have talked about is just getting 
started. The EPA plans to spend tens of millions of dollars more in 
coming years on similar programs and has spent, according to what I 
have been able to assess at this point--that means for more salaries 
and benefits probably for the employees of the organizations as opposed 
to helping solve our environmental problems.
  I imagine one would be hard-pressed to find any American taxpayer who 
would be satisfied with the EPA's conduct in how this money is being 
spent. It is time for the EPA to do real oversight of how all this 
money is spent.
  The American taxpayers deserve better from its government, so, as 
usual, the Grassley oversight will continue.
  I yield the floor.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The senior assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mrs. SHAHEEN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.