East Michigan News

State Reps. Tom Kunse and Mike Harris are gearing up to delve into the failures of the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency during a joint House hearing on Thursday. The inquiry follows the unveiling of troubling revelations from a December 2023 audit by the Michigan Office of the Auditor General.

Representative Kunse expressed skepticism towards the UIA leadership, emphasizing the need for accountability in light of the billions of dollars in fraudulent payments uncovered. Kunse remarked, “Pigs must be flying somewhere because the House Oversight Committee is about to have two substantive committee meetings in the same number of weeks. UIA leadership must answer for the fact that they allowed billions of fraudulent payments over two years. I’m sorry, but when the words billions and fraud are used in the same sentence, I’m not just going to blindly believe some new director when they say all the problems have been fixed. We have a responsibility to ensure these failures are never repeated. We’ll never achieve that goal if we just quietly nod at the person who pinky-promises everything is fine now.”

The audit revealed concerning findings regarding the agency's handling of imposter claims and improper payments. Representative Harris echoed concerns about the persisting issues within Michigan's unemployment system, stating, “Michigan’s unemployment system remains seriously broken. Repeatedly, the bureaucrats responsible have claimed they eliminated the issues, only for new audits and committee hearings to reveal the truth: slow approval for eligible applicants, failure to conduct background checks, billions of dollars in fraud, and more."

Harris emphasized the importance of real oversight and accountability, pointing out that unresolved problems could resurface during future economic crises. Harris added, “The waves of jobless workers during the pandemic may be gone, but rocky problems still sitting beneath the surface could cause mayhem the next time there’s economic turmoil. I’m glad we’re finally having a real oversight hearing to hear from the professional auditors and demand accountability from the governor’s unemployment agency.”

The joint committee hearing, set for 9 a.m. in the House Appropriations Room in the Capitol, will feature testimonies from the Office of the Auditor General and the Unemployment Insurance Agency.