The U.S. House passed the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act this week on a 218-200 vote, and the basic premise is so obvious you have to wonder why it was not already the law: maybe check if someone is eligible for money before you send them the money. Revolutionary stuff, truly.
As Conservative Brief reported, the bill was introduced by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and takes aim at the federal government's beloved "pay and chase" model. That is the system where agencies fire billions of dollars out the door like confetti cannons and then send some poor bureaucrat jogging after the money with a butterfly net. Spoiler: they almost never catch it all.
The new bill would let federal agencies pause, condition, or segment suspicious payments before they go out when there is an elevated risk of fraud. It also gives the Treasury Department authority to bounce flagged payment requests back to agencies for a second look, using tools like the Do Not Pay database. The name of that database alone suggests someone tried to warn us a long time ago.
"This legislation is common sense," Comer said on the House floor. "Congress must take further action to stop fraud before it happens. The Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act adds critical safeguards to ensure federal payments go to the right recipient in the right amount before funds are awarded or disbursed."
The numbers backing up the need for this are genuinely staggering. Government Accountability Office estimates put improper payments at $186 billion in fiscal year 2025, which is a $24 billion jump from the year before. Since 2003, cumulative losses are approaching $3 trillion. That is trillion with a T, the kind of number that makes your eyes glaze over until you remember it is your money.
The Oversight Committee pointed to fraud investigations in Minnesota's social services programs under then-Gov. Tim Walz as a case study in what happens when controls are weak. Fraud rings reportedly exploited the gaps while eligible citizens got the short end.
House Budget Committee Chairman Jodey Arrington (R-Texas), a cosponsor, added some color: "I'm tired of turning on the TV and seeing the misuse of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars. As trillions of taxpayer dollars flow to state and local governments, every dollar must be safeguarded against waste, fraud, and abuse."
Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) was a bit more pointed: "For years, Democrats at all levels of government have turned a blind eye to the rampant fraud in government programs. This isn't always an accident, and it's often intentional."
Democrats voted nearly unanimously against the bill, with roughly 200 voting nay and only a handful crossing over. Make of that what you will.
The bill is part of a package of 11 Oversight Committee measures targeting everything from student aid fraud to improper payments across federal programs. It now heads to the Senate, where its fate remains to be seen. But at least someone finally suggested looking at the check before mailing it. Progress.
Like what you see? Then sign up for our Free Newsletter
