Republican state senators are pushing Beacon Hill to research out-of-state spending of welfare {dollars} following the Herald’s two-part report on EBT expenditures from Hawaii to Alaska.
State Sen. Ryan Fattman has been joined by GOP colleagues Bruce Tarr, Peter Durant and Patrick O’Connor in in search of a probe by the Senate Committee on Put up Audit and Oversight.
“The sheer volume of out-of-state transactions and withdrawals, particularly in states like Hawaii over 5,000 miles from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, by EBT cardholders warrants an investigation into DTA’s oversight of the program that disbursed $3 billion in state and federal assistance in FY’24,” the letter shared with the Herald reads.
Fattman, a Sutton Republican and rating celebration member of the Put up Audit and Oversight Committee, stated Monday exhausting occasions are forward for finances writers and EBT spending is one space that might convey a reimbursement to Massachusetts.
“There needs to be more transparency,” he stated. “The state government seems to be just blinking and doing nothing with tough budget times ahead.”
Because the Herald reported, dipping into welfare money to bankroll journeys outdoors of Massachusetts raises too many pink flags, fiscal watchdogs say.
It reeks of “fraud,” stated MassFiscal’s Paul Craney stated earlier this month.
Information obtained by the Herald via a public information request exhibits taxpayer-paid “economic assistance” for Massachusetts residents cropped up from Alabama to Arizona, Pennsylvania to Puerto Rico, Utah to Wyoming and all of the New England states.
It’s all a part of the $3 billion — $3,050,090,786, to be precise — federal and state {dollars} given out in Fiscal 12 months 2024, which resulted in July. Many fear that the migrant disaster will solely exacerbate this staggering invoice.
The Division of Transitional Help information reveals that the one largest expenditure out of 32 in Hawaii was $378 in March of this yr in Kahului on the island of Maui.
One other $351 was spent in Hilo, a area on the massive island of Hawaii blessed with “dramatic waterfalls, fertile rainforests and blooming gardens,” in January. EBT cash was additionally utilized in Honolulu, Pearl Metropolis, Princeville, Waikoloa, and Captain Cook dinner in line with the EBT data-entry checklist.
Princeville is thought for “master-planned homes and condos on the north shore of the island of Kauai,” in line with web sites.
The DTA says its mission is to “empower low-income individuals and families to meet their basic needs, improve their quality of life, and achieve long-term economic self-sufficiency.” A spokesperson added that any “out-of-state usage beyond approved temporary absences can result in an individual no longer receiving assistance due to not meeting Massachusetts residency requirements.”
