House Passes Bill To Crack Down on Wasteful ‘Pay and Chase’ Schemes
By a vote of 218 to 200, the House passed the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act.
Republicans all agreed on this sensible reform, but almost all Democrats were against it. This shows once again what they value most: protecting people’s money or growing the already huge federal government.
The bill, which was introduced by House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.), goes after the ridiculous “pay and chase” system that lets the government write checks first and ask questions later, if ever.
Billions of dollars from taxpayers are wasted on fraudsters, people who aren’t supposed to get the money, and outright criminals. Then, bureaucrats have to play an expensive game of catch-up that rarely brings back the full amount.
It’s the other way around with the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act. It gives federal agencies the power to hold, condition, or split up suspicious payments before they are sent out when there is a high chance of fraud or wrong payment.
It also gives the U.S. Treasury Department new power to use objective data from systems like the Do Not Pay database to send payment requests that have been flagged back to agencies for further review.
These targeted, short-term actions are only meant to make sure that benefits go to real Americans and not scammers by checking eligibility and accuracy.”This legislation makes sense,” Chairman Comer said on the House floor.
“Congress needs to do more to stop fraud before it happens.” “The Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act adds important safeguards to make sure that federal payments go to the right person and are sent in the right amount before the money is given out or awarded,” Comer said.
Comer stressed that the federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars every year because of fraud and wrong payments in many programs.
According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), improper payments will cost $186 billion in fiscal year 2025 alone, which is $24 billion more than the previous year. Since 2003, the total amount of money lost is close to $3 trillion.
These numbers show how much real money is being taken away from American families, small businesses, and future generations by rising taxes and debt.
The Oversight Committee’s investigations, which included shocking revelations of fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs while Gov. Tim Walz was in office, made the need for action even more clear.
Fraud rings took advantage of weak controls, which put taxpayers on the hook while eligible people were hurt.
The bill builds on these efforts to keep an eye on things and changes the focus from recovery to prevention.
Chairman of the House Budget Committee and original cosponsor Jodey Arrington (R-Texas) talked about the bigger picture: “I’m tired of turning on the TV and seeing Americans’ hard-earned tax dollars being wasted.” Since the federal government gets trillions of dollars from taxpayers, it’s important to keep every dollar safe from waste, fraud, and abuse.
Other important Republicans agreed with them. “For years, Democrats at all levels of government have turned a blind eye to the rampant fraud in government programs,” said Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas). Not always is this an accident; most of the time it’s done on purpose. Federal programs need to be changed right away.
This victory fits right in with President Trump’s plan to get rid of waste.
The White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and programs like DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) show that the government is serious about being responsible with money.
Republicans in the House are keeping their word about holding the government accountable again. They are making sure that programs like Social Security, Medicare, and welfare help people who really need them.
It says a lot that almost all Democrats are against it—about 200 voted “nay” and only a few crossed the aisle.
In words, they say they support measures to stop fraud, but their votes show otherwise.
The passing is part of a larger group of 11 Oversight Committee bills that are meant to keep taxpayer money safe.
These bills cover a wide range of issues, from fraud in student aid to wrong payments in many federal programs. They show that Republicans are serious about making the government more honest.
The bill will now go to the Senate, where Republicans and President Trump are likely to make it go even further.
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