To paraphrase the late Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill: All fraud is local.

Whether it’s $5 billion-plus allegedly funneled to “questionable” rental assistance recipients as outlined in a Department of Housing and Urban Development report, to hundreds of government employees investigated by the state of Illinois for Paycheck Protection Program fraud, or an alleged local “criminal enterprise” grabbing almost $7 million in SNAP benefits operating out of stores in Boston recently busted by the feds, our tax dollars don’t always go where they’re supposed to.

When that happens, we’re all ripped off.

If there’s one mandate for lawmakers heading back to DC after the holiday break, it’s this: find fraud and end it.

It’s a bit late for the alleged fraud spree that took place during Joe Biden’s last year in office. According to the New York Post, a HUD report found more than $5 billion in taxpayer funds went to “questionable” rental assistance recipients — including around 30,000 “deceased tenants” and “thousands” of potential non-citizens.

HUD officials said a “large concentration” of the suspicious payments went to New York, California and Washington, DC, with dead recipients getting at least some funds in all 50 states.

“A massive abuse of taxpayer dollars not only occurred under President (Joe) Biden’s watch, but was effectively incentivized by his administration’s failure to implement strong financial controls resulting in billions worth of potential improper payments,” HUD Secretary Scott Turner said in a statement.

The HUD programs are designed to help low-income residents who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford shelter. When funds are improperly doled out, that’s not only a slap to taxpayers, it leaves people on the streets.

HUD officials faulted the Biden administration for a directive “to push funding out the door with minimal oversight” as well as rent assistance programs placing “substantial trust and responsibility in these non-federal entities … to accurately assess tenant eligibility.”

“Minimal oversight” was a theme for the Biden administration, whether it was vetting people crossing the border, or funds flying out from DC.

Now, HUD will have to reach out to the public housing authorities and other entities to confirm the extent of the fraud — and either pause or revoke funding. Officials will also make criminal referrals when warranted.

The pair of defendants charged in the Boston SNAP fraud scheme could get up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. They allegedly redeemed $100,000 to $500,000 per month in SNAP benefits, money that should have gone to hungry families.

That’s what taxpayers believe when they fund these programs.

“This is taxpayer money meant to keep people from going hungry,” said Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley.

Restitution beyond a possible $250,000 fine? Don’t count on it.

Fraud is usually found after the fact, once perpetrators have pocketed hundreds of thousands to billions of ill-gotten dollars. Washington pols on both sides of the aisle need to tighten oversight and weed out fraud in its nascent stages.

The days of “minimal oversight” are over.

Editorial cartoon by Steve Kelley (Creators Syndicate)