Standing Up Against Bad Actors Committed to Defrauding the United States

Taxpayers expect their hard-earned dollars to be spent responsibly. But since 2003, the federal government has made an estimated $3 trillion of improper payments, including payments lost to waste, fraud, and abuse. Every dollar improperly spent is a dollar taken away from working families. 

Billions of taxpayer dollars are lost to fraud every year because of weak oversight and preventable errors. One of the biggest drivers is a practice known as “pay and chase,” where federally funded programs send out payments before verifying whether recipients are eligible or even legitimate. It is a reckless system that invites fraud, wastes taxpayer dollars, and leaves agencies scrambling to recover money after it is already gone.

House Republicans continue to advance commonsense measures to combat fraud, protect taxpayer dollars, and strengthen fiscal responsibility. Today, the House will consider legislation condemning those who defraud taxpayers and supporting reforms that prevent fraud before it occurs, including stronger up-front eligibility verification before federal payments are issued.

H. Res. 1335, sponsored by Rep. Pat Fallon, denounces the individuals who abuse and defraud taxpayer dollars and government entities and pledges that reforms which address fraud prevention will meaningfully improve the financial prosperity of the United States, most notably through up-front verification for eligibility before payments are issued.

House Republicans are committed to advancing commonsense fraud measures and preventing fraud before it occurs.