Congressman Clay Higgins of Louisiana has introduced a new piece of legislation aimed at addressing improper payments made to deceased individuals. The bicameral Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act seeks to curb government spending by amending current laws to grant the Social Security Administration the authority to share deceased individuals’ records, also known as the Death Master File, with the Treasury Department’s ‘Do Not Pay’ system.
The legislation is also introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senator John Kennedy, who hails from Louisiana. Its goal is to prevent fraudulent claims by scammers using deceased individuals’ information to extract funds from the federal government.
“The national debt is a significant threat. The American people support efforts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse of their tax dollars, which certainly includes ensuring payments are not being delivered to dead people. Our legislation addresses this gap in the bureaucracy and cuts wasteful spending,” Congressman Higgins stated.
“In 2023 alone, the federal government sent $1.3 billion to dead people. The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act would permanently correct bureaucratic errors so that Americans’ tax dollars don’t get wasted or stolen,” said Senator Kennedy.
