Hurricane Sandy Relief Funds Being Watched Closely

The White House is telling agencies to watch out for misuse of Hurricane Sandy relief funds. Controller Danny Werfel said the $5.5 billion in aid carries extra risk of fraud, waste or abuse. In a memo, he tells agencies: monitor spending, ask grantees for lots of details and visit sites. He says agencies should work with their inspectors general to spot problems early on and resolve any audit findings within six months. Werfel says agencies can give grantees only two years to spend the money. Agencies' internal-control plans are due to the Office of Management and Budget by the end of the month.