The Protecting American Taxpayers Act is a broad anti-fraud package targeting improper payments and misuse of federal funds across multiple programs. It tightens oversight of child care subsidies, Medicare, Medicaid, and health exchanges by requiring attendance-based billing, fraud audits, and automatic investigations when payments or provider counts spike unusually; it also bars small businesses and individuals convicted of pandemic-loan fraud from receiving future SBA assistance and rescinds unspent COVID-19 relief funds for deficit reduction, subject to a presidential waiver. The bill strengthens TANF program integrity by requiring improper-payment tracking and banning states from using federal funds to replace their own spending, while also cutting off federal assistance to entities controlled by agents of foreign adversary governments (including China, Russia, and Iran) and restricting U.S. aid that could indirectly benefit the Taliban. Additional provisions extend the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud tied to pandemic-era and SBA programs, create new data-sharing tools (including access to IRS, Social Security, and credit-reporting data) to catch improper payments before they're made, and prohibit welfare recipients from sending remittances abroad under penalty of a $100,000 fine. The act also establishes a Veterans Scam and Fraud Evasion Officer at the VA, expands whistleblower protections for federal contractors, and creates a cost-savings bonus program for federal employees who identify wasteful spending, with most provisions taking effect within 60 days to two
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