“We’re dealing with billions of dollars here,” she said. “We almost doubled the state’s federal spending in 2021.”
Before the pandemic, Washington spent about $18 billion in federal money each year, according to a recent report. Federal support jumped to an estimated $36.5 billion last year, completely changing the scale of auditing required.
The State Auditor’s Office typically works on the back end of government spending to ensure officials accounted for their costs properly and used the money as allowed. Auditors monitor about 2,300 different agencies and governments statewide, ranging from the city of Seattle to rural cemetery taxing districts, issuing public reports on spending practices and any violations.
“We
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