WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Senate Republican said on Thursday Congress should considering ending the three-decade old federal subsidy for telephones and internet access for low-income Americans after a government audit found significant fraud.
Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said at a hearing Congress should consider ending the program, known as “Lifeline,” which spends about $1.5 billion annually to help 12.3 million U.S. households afford landline and mobile phones.
"The Lifeline program has been plagued by waste, fraud and abuse,” Johnson said. “This is a real head shaker.”
Senator Claire McCaskill, the top Democrat on the panel, said “the combination of ineffective oversight and the greed of some private carriers has led to hundreds of millions in wasted taxpayer dollars.”
[–] equineluvr ago
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A top U.S. Senate Republican said on Thursday Congress should considering ending the three-decade old federal subsidy for telephones and internet access for low-income Americans after a government audit found significant fraud.
Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, said at a hearing Congress should consider ending the program, known as “Lifeline,” which spends about $1.5 billion annually to help 12.3 million U.S. households afford landline and mobile phones.
"The Lifeline program has been plagued by waste, fraud and abuse,” Johnson said. “This is a real head shaker.”
Senator Claire McCaskill, the top Democrat on the panel, said “the combination of ineffective oversight and the greed of some private carriers has led to hundreds of millions in wasted taxpayer dollars.”