Joe asked us to find things we could cut from the stimulus. I found something!

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A massive coronavirus relief bill that Democrats plan to pass on a party-line vote includes millions of dollars for a taxpayer-funded nonprofit group with a scandal-ridden history. NeighborWorks America, an organization chartered by Congress that acts as a sort of Red Cross for homeowners, will receive $100 million through 2025 as part of the nearly $2 trillion emergency spending package, according to a draft released Friday by the House Budget Committee. But the nonprofit has a track-record of management shortcomings, including sweetheart contracts, document fudging and sudden departures of top officials. According to a 2015 report from Bloomberg News, executives at NeighborWorks awarded at least two large jobs to insiders without bidding — even though under federal rules, recipients of government funds must put jobs worth more than $25,000 up for competition, or justify why they didn't do so. Bloomberg reported that NeighborWorks managers signed off on a multimillion-dollar technology deal with a recently formed contractor, which had board members in common with the non-profit and used the same law firm. The contractor overcharged by as much as 20 times, according to one audit. NeighborWorks later justified the hiring of Hope LoanPort, which billed $3 million over two years, by saying it did not have enough time to seek other vendors. But NeighborWorks has been discussing using Hope LoanPort for the job eight months before the contract was signed, according to an auditor. That preceded the abrupt departure of four top officials from the non-profit.

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