Rep. Cam Cavitt is calling for Speaker Joe Tate, D-Detroit, to direct the House Ethics and Oversight Committee to investigate recent Auditor General findings that outline over $5.6 billion of suspected fraudulent payments sent by the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency.

Cavitt, joined by 19 other House Republicans, delivered a letter to Tate Friday demanding committee action to address widespread fraud found in the UIA. House Rule 36 requires the Oversight Committee to review Auditor General reports and take necessary action.

“This level of fraud demands attention,” Cavitt wrote. “Reforms must be made to prevent future fraud, hold bad actors accountable, and protect the funds workers and businesses pay into the system. We ask that you direct the House Ethics and Oversight Committee to do their duty and take up this startling and damning investigation with the utmost urgency.”

Last month, the nonpartisan Office of the Auditor General released its fifth and final audit of UIA, first requested by House Republican leadership in 2020 in response to alleged fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. The December report outlined an additional $245.1 million in improper payments sent by the UIA to individuals already deemed ineligible by the department.

A full copy of Cavitt’s letter is available here.

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