As $2 trillion starts to flow, oversight of virus cash lags

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress unleashed $2 trillion to deal with the coronavirus crisis. So far, only one person is working to oversee how it is spent.

Bharat Ramamurti is starting out as a watchdog of one, the sole appointee to a five-member Congressional Oversight Commission. Sheltering at home with preschoolers, Ramamurti has been writing letters and taking to Twitter to try and jump-start his work, asking the Trump administration for “detailed and timely information” about coronavirus payments. But he's eager for reinforcements.

“I’d love to have other members of the committee appointed so we — can all do this together,” says Ramamurti, a former aide to Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren who was appointed by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer. Three additional members will be appointed by congressional leaders, along with a chairperson.

It's a halting start for the oversight structure built into the coronavirus relief law, which Democrats demanded as a condition for empowering a White House and administration they deeply distrust. The law establishes three different watchdogs, with a fourth being created by House Democrats as part of multi-pronged effort to prevent fraud and abuse as the Trump administration and Congress pump unprecedented sums into the economy.

A slow roll-out is typical for Washington, said Noah Bookbinder, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, “but this is not a normal circumstance,” with the administration intent on disbursing funds at a rapid clip.

“If oversight is not happening, that’s a problem, because the actual assistance is happening,’’ Bookbinder said.

The oversight structure will be put to the test in the coming weeks, as deadlines arrive for the Trump administration to deliver data and other information to Congress....