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White announces new audit to find wasteful spending
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VICKSBURG, Miss. (VDN) — State Auditor Shad White announced an initiative to be led by the State Auditor’s Government Accountability Division to audit small agencies, boards, and commissions to identify wasteful spending and noncompliance with state law and regulations.
“During my time as State Auditor, we’ve identified hundreds of millions of dollars in waste across state government, and we’re not stopping,” said State Auditor Shad White. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a large federal program or a small state agency; if they’re wasting your tax dollars, we’re going to find it and let taxpayers know.”
Previously White’s office conducted an audit for waste at large state agencies called Project Momentum. It found hundreds of millions of dollars in waste, like:
- Wasteful spending on state vehicles and office space
- State agencies buying expensive technology, like a $5,800 television screen
- Wasteful use of the state plane by politicians
- Too much spending outside the classroom in education
“It’s time to look at the small agencies, too, so I’ve tasked my staff with auditing and analyzing these tucked-away, sometimes-forgotten government offices,” said White.
The work is scheduled to be complete before the end of 2027.
Shad White began his first term as the 42nd State Auditor of Mississippi in July of 2018 and then won re-election to his first and second term in the office after establishing a tough, no-nonsense reputation. In his time as State Auditor, White’s team has stopped the largest public fraud in state history, made the largest civil recovery after an auditor’s investigation in the history of the office, and concluded cases that, collectively, led to hundreds of years of prison sentences for fraudsters. He holds a certificate in forensic accounting, is a Certified Fraud Examiner, and serves as a captain in the Mississippi National Guard. The son of an oilfield pumper and public school teacher, White grew up in rural Jones County and went on to earn degrees from Ole Miss, the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar, and Harvard Law School. Today he, his wife Rina, and their children live in Rankin County and attend St. Richard Church.
