Congress has taken a decisive step to curb federal payments mistakenly sent to deceased individuals, a problem costing taxpayers millions annually.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) announced that both the Senate and House have passed the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act.
This legislation aims to make permanent a data-sharing arrangement between the Social Security Administration (SSA) and the Treasury Department.
The bill, which Kennedy spearheaded, is now headed to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature into law.
The issue has sparked significant debate over government efficiency and accountability.
While some view this as a necessary fix, others question why such an obvious gap took so long to address.
For years, Kennedy has fought to address welfare fraud, particularly payments sent to the deceased.
He’s highlighted it as a glaring inefficiency in federal operations, Breitbart reported.
“I have been working for years, literally years, to target welfare fraud — especially the fraudsters who conduct fraud in the name of deceased Americans,” Kennedy stated.
That dedication reflects a deep frustration with bureaucratic hurdles.
The root of the problem lies in the SSA’s Death Master File, a list of deceased Americans not previously shared with other federal agencies.
Kennedy learned the SSA required congressional approval to release this data, stalling progress for too long.
Years ago, Kennedy pushed through the Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, enabling temporary data sharing with the Treasury Department.
This initial step showed immediate results.
“Since December of 2023, this bill has saved the federal government at least $330 million in improper payments,” Kennedy noted.
That significant saving exposes the scale of prior waste.
Linking the data to the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system was a critical move.
It raises a nagging question: why wasn’t this standard practice from the start?
Given the success of the temporary measure, Kennedy introduced the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act to solidify this data-sharing arrangement.
The House passed it this week, following earlier Senate approval.
The problem’s magnitude is striking.
Kennedy revealed that in 2023 alone, over a billion dollars went to deceased individuals.
That’s hard-earned taxpayer money lost to exploitation.
With the bill now en route to the president, there’s optimism that this gap will close.
Yet, it’s tough to ignore how much more inefficiency might still lurk in government systems.
This legislation goes beyond halting payments to the deceased; it’s a signal for improved agency coordination.
Siloed operations aren’t just wasteful, they’re a disservice to the public.
While this bill addresses one specific flaw, it underscores a broader demand for fiscal oversight.
Taxpayers shouldn’t foot the bill for basic governmental oversights.
Ultimately, Kennedy’s efforts spotlight a fixable issue, but the fight for efficiency is far from over.
The federal system must prioritize accountability to prevent such waste from recurring.
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