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The House on Wednesday passed a measure aimed at combatting what appears to be widespread fraud among federally funded state Medicare and Medicaid programs, though most Democrats voted against it. A vote of 211-200 passed the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act, with all Republicans supporting it along with just six Democrats. If passed by the Senate and signed into law, the bill would give the U.S. Treasury the authority to halt and return payments flagged for fraud risks. The measure follows the House Reform and Oversight Committee’s investigation into extensive fraud across multiple state social welfare programs, especially in Democrat-controlled Minnesota.
In a statement in support of the bill
committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky. ) said that the federal government loses hundreds of billions of dollars every year in fraudulent payments across all programs and operations. “We are facing a national emergency of fraud in federal programs that is impacting all Americans,” he began. “According to the Government Accountability Office, the federal government is estimated to lose between $233 and $521 billion annually to fraud across all federal programs and operations,” Comer continued.
“Earlier this week, we exposed how criminals stole $9 billion in Minnesota’s social services programs while senior state officials, including Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison, did nothing to stop it,” the Kentucky GOP leader went on. “Whether in Minnesota, California’s hospice system, or Medicaid waiver programs in Ohio or New York, one thing is clear: fraudsters will keep stealing taxpayer dollars until they are stopped.” The congressional report released Monday alleges that top Minnesota officials, including Walz and Ellison, ignored repeated warnings about widespread fraud in federally funded social service programs and retaliated against state employees who attempted to sound the alarm.
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