WASHINGTON, D.C. | September 29, 2023 — On September 27, tax whistleblower attorney Dean Zerbe, a Senior Policy Analyst for National Whistleblower Center (NWC), testified before a U.S. House Committee on Small Business hearing entitled “Action Through Innovation: Private Sector Solutions to Recouping Stolen Pandemic Loan Funds.”
The hearing focused on ways the Small Business Administration (SBA) could recoup fraudulent loans issued as part of pandemic lending programs. Zerbe outlined how a whistleblower award program would encourage insiders to report fraud and bring more fraudsters to justice.
“Whistleblower award programs are the great friend to honest taxpayers – first, in recovering taxpayer dollars and second, better targeting government enforcement efforts on those individuals seeking to engage in fraud and evasion,” explained Zerbe. “All this speaks to the fact that bringing whistleblowers into the work of the SBA will help stretch and extend limited existing SBA staff resources – and better focus those resources to be more effective.”
Committee Chair Roger Williams (R-TX) stated that he and his team are exploring the idea of creating a whistleblower award program for the SBA. Zerbe, who helped draft the 2006 amendments which modernized the IRS Whistleblower Program, noted the great success other whistleblower award programs have had in fighting fraud.
“I would underscore that the great benefit of a whistleblower award program is to help the SBA perform its work more effectively and efficiently – and better target the worst actors – saving significant government resources,” Zerbe said.
NWC Executive Director Siri Nelson is available for comment. For more information, contact NWC at info@whistleblowers.org.
Mr. Zerbe’s September 27, Testimony to the House Committee on Small Business can be read here.
And video of his testimony is available here.
