Latest news with #PIIA
Time of India
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Even if India blocked water to Pakistan, it would require significant infrastructure: Pak researcher
A Pakistani researcher during an interactive seminar on the Pakistan-India conflict on Sunday said that even if India blocked water under the Indus Waters Treaty, it would require significant infrastructure that would take years to build and also billions of dollars. In the wake of the horrific April 22 Pahalgam attack in Jammu and Kashmir in which 26 civilians were killed, India had decided that the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960 would be held in abeyance with immediate effect until Pakistan credibly and irrevocably abjures its support for cross-border terrorism. The seminar held by the Pakistan Institute of International Affairs (PIIA) saw research papers being read out on the Pakistan-India conflict. Researcher Mohammad Usman said that if India were to stop the water flow to Pakistan, it would risk flooding its own upper regions. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Bangladesh: Unsold Sofas at Bargain Prices (View Current Prices) Sofas | Search Ads Search Now Undo "But if they stopped our water during the dry seasons, it could be a concern for us because the flow of water is lower and storage matters the most. It can affect our farmers, which could result in lower yields," Usman said. The researcher said that even if India blocked water, it would require significant infrastructure that would take years to build and also billions of dollars. Live Events He said in the case of Pakistan and India, Pakistan is the lower riparian state and India the upper riparian state. But in the case of China and India, China is the upper riparian state and India the lower riparian state. "This is especially true in Brahmaputra where China can also block India's water," he pointed out. PIIA chairperson Dr Masuma Hasan underscored the need to hear different voices, especially the voices of the youth, regarding the recent conflict. Tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which claimed 26 lives. India carried out precision strikes as part of Operation Sindoor on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in the early hours of May 7. It was followed by Pakistan's attempt to attack Indian military bases on May 8, 9, and 10. The Indian side responded strongly to the Pakistani actions. The on-ground hostilities ended with an understanding of stopping the military actions following talks between the directors general of military operations of both sides on May 10.
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New DOGE bill would target more than $200B in annual improper payments from safety nets, lawmaker says
EXCLUSIVE: A new DOGE-centric bill will be introduced Monday targeting overpayments by the federal government, which the lawmaker sponsoring it says have added up to the trillions since the George W. Bush era. The Payment Integrity Information Reform Act (PIIA) will go "hand-in-hand" with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government, according to Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa. Meuser, chairman of the oversight panel of the House Financial Services Committee and a member of the House DOGE Caucus, said Monday that the "DOGE team" writ-large has uncovered $55 billion in waste in only one month and that the PIIA Reform Act would dig even deeper. "The federal government expended $236 billion last year in improper payments—money sent out improperly due to fraud, bureaucratic errors, and agencies failing to maintain eligibility integrity. "This is a gross failure of accountability that hardworking American taxpayers should not tolerate," he said. Bill Would Prohibit Us Financial Aid To Afghanistan Until All Wrongfully Detained Americans Released If passed, the bill could account for nearly one-quarter of the $1 trillion that DOGE writ-large has expressed the goal of exposing, recouping or saving on taxpayers' behalf. Read On The Fox News App The act would look to improve payment integrity laws and particularly target overpayments for social safety net programs, which have been in the news lately for similar issues. In 2023, federal agencies estimated $236 billion in improper payments were disbursed, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). That sum accounted for funds from 71 different government programs. More than $44 billion of that year's share was also categorized as "unknown payments." "The Payment Information Integrity Reform Act will put an end to this careless mismanagement at federal agencies by strengthening oversight, enforcing tougher penalties for noncompliance, and demanding accountability at every level," Meuser said. Democrats Loved Idea Of Doge Before Trump, White House Quips "The American people deserve government agencies that manage their money more responsibly and the House GOP remains committed to working with President Trump and DOGE to rein in spending and ensure tax dollars are spent as intended." The GAO further reported that improper 2023 Medicaid and Medicare payments accounted for $50 billion each, with COVID-19 unemployment assistance accounting for $43 billion. While down $11 billion from 2022, that $236 billion was parcel to about $2.7 billion collectively disbursed incorrectly or erroneously since 2003. Meuser said the improper payment calculations are likely conservative estimates and that the total figure is unknown, given agencies' systemic noncompliance with such payment integrity laws. Last week, both DOGE leader Elon Musk and President Donald Trump remarked that some Social Security beneficiaries are listed as being older than the oldest known humans on the planet. "According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!," Musk wrote on X. "Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security." Per Musk, there are 20 million beneficiaries with a listed age of older than 100 years, with about 1 million who were still alive during Reconstruction. Fox News Digital also reached out to House DOGE Chairman Aaron Bean, R-Fla., for article source: New DOGE bill would target more than $200B in annual improper payments from safety nets, lawmaker says
Fox News
24-02-2025
- Business
- Fox News
New DOGE bill would target more than $200B in annual improper payments from safety nets, lawmaker says
EXCLUSIVE: A new DOGE-centric bill will be introduced Monday targeting overpayments by the federal government, which the lawmaker sponsoring it says have added up to the trillions since the George W. Bush era. The Payment Integrity Information Reform Act (PIIA) will go "hand-in-hand" with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to root out waste, fraud and abuse within the federal government, according to Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa. Meuser, chairman of the oversight panel of the House Financial Services Committee and a member of the House DOGE Caucus, said Monday that the "DOGE team" writ-large has uncovered $55 billion in waste in only one month and that the PIIA Reform Act would dig even deeper. "The federal government expended $236 billion last year in improper payments—money sent out improperly due to fraud, bureaucratic errors, and agencies failing to maintain eligibility integrity. "This is a gross failure of accountability that hardworking American taxpayers should not tolerate," he said. If passed, the bill could account for nearly one-quarter of the $1 trillion that DOGE writ-large has expressed the goal of exposing, recouping or saving on taxpayers' behalf. The act would look to improve payment integrity laws and particularly target overpayments for social safety net programs, which have been in the news lately for similar issues. In 2023, federal agencies estimated $236 billion in improper payments were disbursed, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO). That sum accounted for funds from 71 different government programs. More than $44 billion of that year's share was also categorized as "unknown payments." "The Payment Information Integrity Reform Act will put an end to this careless mismanagement at federal agencies by strengthening oversight, enforcing tougher penalties for noncompliance, and demanding accountability at every level," Meuser said. "The American people deserve government agencies that manage their money more responsibly and the House GOP remains committed to working with President Trump and DOGE to rein in spending and ensure tax dollars are spent as intended." The GAO further reported that improper 2023 Medicaid and Medicare payments accounted for $50 billion each, with COVID-19 unemployment assistance accounting for $43 billion. While down $11 billion from 2022, that $236 billion was parcel to about $2.7 billion collectively disbursed incorrectly or erroneously since 2003. Meuser said the improper payment calculations are likely conservative estimates and that the total figure is unknown, given agencies' systemic noncompliance with such payment integrity laws. Last week, both DOGE leader Elon Musk and President Donald Trump remarked that some Social Security beneficiaries are listed as being older than the oldest known humans on the planet. "According to the Social Security database, these are the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!," Musk wrote on X. "Maybe Twilight is real and there are a lot of vampires collecting Social Security." Per Musk, there are 20 million beneficiaries with a listed age of older than 100 years, with about 1 million who were still alive during Reconstruction. Fox News Digital also reached out to House DOGE Chairman Aaron Bean, R-Fla., for comment.
