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An inspector general audit has questioned some Smithsonian Institution spending under a pandemic relief law, suggesting the group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government did not properly spend some of the Covid-19 relief funds it received as part of the 2020 CARES Act.
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 27 Mar 2024
An inspector general audit has questioned some Smithsonian Institution spending under a pandemic relief law, suggesting the group of museums and research centers administered by the United States government did not properly spend some of the Covid-19 relief funds it received as part of the 2020 CARES Act.
Under the act, the Smithsonian Institution received $7.5 million for designated purposes such as deep cleaning, security, information technology, and staff overtime to respond to the impacts of the pandemic. While the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) found that the money was primarily spent for pandemic-related purposes such as purchasing face masks, sanitizing supplies, and IT to enable telework by employees, “the Smithsonian did not consistently spend CARES Act funds in accordance with applicable laws, policies and procedures,” the report said.
The Smithsonian divided the funds between two units: its facilities team and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). Smithsonian Facilities received $6 million for personal protective equipment, restroom upgrades, and other measures to fight the spread of the virus in facilities, including museums, research centers, and administrative offices.
The OCIO received $1.5 million to implement mandatory work-from-home orders for nonessential workers as museums closed. The National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) failed to... [Read more on Artnet]
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