Finance Minister Stephen Mnuchin turned from attempts to delay the disclosure of data on recipients of financial assistance from the state to a direct refusal.
This was reported by the Associated Press.
Unwilling to disclose where $600 billion of the US taxpayers went, the official said at a congressional hearing that the recipient’s data was “confidential”.
“We believe that this is confidential information in many cases for individual entrepreneurs and small enterprises”, – Mnuchin said.
This is a scandalous program of assistance to small enterprises, which failed because money was given to large network companies that could survive the crisis without state support.
“Given the many problems with the program, it is imperative that the US taxpayers know whether the money will go where Congress was planning – for a truly small and non-banking small business”, – Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer said.
Congressman James Clyburn, in turn, said he would seek more transparency from the Treasury.
“Concealing federal recipients is unacceptable and must stop” , -the Democrat said in a commentary to the Associated Press.
“American taxpayers deserve to know if their money is being used to help small businesses, as Congress intended, or instead pumped out due to losses, fraud, and abuse”.