Washington Paid Daycares First, Checked Papers Later: $37M in Questionable Payments Found After $416M Went Unaudited

Reform bill to tighten child care oversight passed the House but stalled in the Senate amid concerns over lax controls and fraud, with calls for federal review. (Credit: Markus Spiske/Unsplash)

Washington state's child care subsidy system sent an extrapolated $37 million (£28 million) in questionable payments to providers in a single fiscal year, a new audit has found, after four consecutive years in which auditors couldn't trace where hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars went.

$27 Million From Child Care Funds, $9.9 Million From Welfare