WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans unveiled a package of 16 bills aimed at cracking down on fraud, which they believe could save taxpayers about $240 billion, The Washington Post has learned.
The legislation package, called the American Taxpayers Protection Act, which is led by DOGE Senate Caucus Chairman Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), is part of a collaboration of GOP lawmakers that began work earlier this year in the wake of the Minnesota fraud scandal.
Over the past four months, GOP lawmakers have weighed ways to recover stolen funds, block the transfer of federal funds abroad, impose stronger safeguards on government spending, and target fraudsters.
“Many lenient liberal politicians and judges look the other way while criminals steal more than a billion dollars from taxpayers every day,” Ernst told The Washington Post.
“The American Taxpayer Protection Act not only stops fraud before it happens and holds those responsible accountable, it returns stolen dollars to taxpayers.”
After the fraud scandal broke in Minnesota, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SC) appointed Ernst to build consensus among Republicans on a set of anti-fraud measures they could put to a vote.
While its passage is not guaranteed, the goal is to get Republicans on the same page and pressure Democrats on the fraud issue.
“This long-awaited legislation will be put to a vote soon to put every senator on record on whether they side with the crooks or the taxpayers,” the Hawkeye Republican added.
While it is difficult to measure the exact extent of the fraud experienced by the federal government,… Government Accountability Office (GAO) It is estimated that between $233 billion and $521 billion in federal dollars were lost to fraud between 2018 and 2022.
It also found that there have been more than $2.8 trillion in improper payments since fiscal year 2023.
One measure in the legislative package aims to give lawmakers more data on improper federal payments so Congress can crack down on them.
The American Taxpayer Protection Act includes a range of measures, such as creating a task force to examine deep fake fraud, extending the statute of limitations for prosecuting coronavirus-related crimes, blocking funds from going to countries subject to the US arms embargo or travel ban, and updating the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
To recover money stolen through fraud, the legislation enacts policies such as restricting payments until service is provided, canceling about $65 billion in unspent COVID-19 funds, giving bonuses to probation officers who detect fraud, and cutting off convicted fraudsters from Small Business Administration assistance.
The legislative packages also require the Treasury Department to provide more detail and verification of expenditures, restrict individuals who receive government assistance from transferring money abroad, and strengthen whistleblower protections.
Lawmakers involved in helping craft the legislative package include Senators Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.), Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), Kevin Cramer (R-Ohio), Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), Tim Shea (R-Mont.), and Dave McCormick (R-Mont.). (R-Pa.), Todd Young (R-Indiana), and Jon Husted (R-Ohio).