The US House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a pair of anti-fraud bills backed by Republicans and supported by dozens of Democrats. The bills are aimed at strengthening federal oversight of taxpayer-funded programs and creating a new division within the Department of Justice ( DOJ ).
Jeff Van Drew (R-New Jersey), who introduced the PROOF Act, said the measure is intended to ensure investigators can access information needed to determine whether federal money is being misused. The bill would require states to disclose data from government-funded programs such as Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), assisting federal fraud investigators and prosecutors in identifying misuse of funds. Rep.
The House approved the bill by a 352-72 vote, with 139 Democrats joining all Republicans, according to congressional vote tallies reported by Capitol Hill correspondent Craig Caplan. House Republicans said the Trump administration has identified nearly $250 billion in alleged fraud across federal programs and argued the legislation would make those enforcement efforts permanent. Democratic leaders Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, Pete Aguilar and Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin voted in favor.
Van Drew said after the House vote, “States should not be able to block important fraud investigations when federal taxpayer dollars are involved.”
This bill would permanently establish the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, which the Trump administration created earlier this year to investigate large-scale fraud involving federal funds.
