“According to Comptroller DiNapoli, a whopping $11 billion in fraudulent unemployment payments were doled out to thieves and scammers during the pandemic. The audit clearly demonstrates systematic failures within the state Labor Department, which let down thousands of New Yorkers who were newly unemployed. It is incredibly disappointing to see this loss in taxpayer dollars at the same time the state is shouldering small business owners with surcharges on their unemployment insurance for us to pay back the federal government.

“Following the comptroller’s report, we need accountability. Labor Commissioner Reardon must be brought in front of the Legislature, a co-equal branch of government, so we can complete meaningful oversight and make sure fraud to the tune of $11 billion in payments is never able to happen again.

“We cannot allow small business owners, already at their breaking points, to shoulder the financial burden from gross incompetence due to oversights of the Labor Department.”