A 2023 Business Insider investigation found that dozens of wealthy musicians used ineffective oversight and loopholes in the law to line their pockets. Post Malone, Chris Brown, Nickelback, and other artists got millions in taxpayer money even as some of them spent lavishly on homes and other acquisitions (in Post Malone’s case, he spent more than $1 million on a hobbyist’s sword-forging studio shortly before receiving $10 million in grants). Lil Wayne and others submitted signed certifications that they maintained drug-free workplaces, a requirement to get federal grants, despite being open about their enthusiasm for weed and psychedelic drugs.

But once the law was passed, Strickland said he focused on helping as many people get money as possible. He was frank about the program’s shortcomings: “They met the letter of the law — and it was written wide open,” he told BI. “I know a bunch of folks that bought jet cards. There was nothing in there that said you had to pay people.”