Congressional Actions to Combat Fraud in the Federal Government Reduce fraud, improper payments, and associated losses of taxpayer funds by strengthening information verification, contracting and grant oversight, and agency accountability. This StratML rendition is derived from the U.S. Government Accountability Office WatchBlog post "Nine Ways Congress Can Combat Fraud in the Federal Government," posted September 1, 2026. The source is a set of GAO recommendations rather than a formally adopted strategic plan of the United States Congress. Accordingly, the plan structure, Goal and Objective names, and concise intended-result descriptions have been inferred from the source while preserving the substance and organization of GAO's nine recommended congressional actions. ^^ GAO estimates that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion to fraud each year. GAO states that there is no single or simple solution to fraud in federal programs, including programs administered by states, and that it has identified hundreds of actions that agencies and Congress can take to better protect taxpayer money and increase public trust in government. The source groups the nine highlighted congressional actions into three categories: four actions concerning information needed to combat fraud, two concerning government contracting and grants, and three concerning agency accountability. ^^ Submitter's Note: This plan has been compiled from the source by ChatGPT and lightly edited in the form at https://stratml.us/forms/Claude/Part1.html U.S. Government Accountability Office GAO _b6460a7f-6d99-4b2a-9f4a-296101dfde9f Provide fact-based, nonpartisan information, recommendations, audits, investigations, testimony, and related guidance to help Congress and federal agencies improve government performance and accountability. U.S. Congress Federal agencies Implement federal programs and counter-fraud controls affected by the congressional actions recommended in the source. American Taxpayers Provide public resources whose protection from fraud and improper payments is a central intended result of the recommended actions. Federal Program Beneficiaries Receive federal payments and benefits whose eligibility, accuracy, integrity, and timely delivery may be affected by strengthened fraud controls. Federal programs and taxpayer resources are administered responsibly _3955de08-41c0-4015-a1a9-35d6ee1035ee To reduce fraud, improper payments, and associated losses of taxpayer funds _2990f42f-0159-46c8-8340-e8237391c6a0 Accountability Promote responsibility for protecting federal funds and demonstrating the effectiveness of counter-fraud efforts. Public Trust Increase confidence that federal programs and taxpayer resources are administered responsibly. Privacy & Data Protection Protect personal information while improving appropriate access to data needed to prevent fraud and improper payments. Information Improve access to reliable information needed to prevent fraudulent and erroneous federal payments. _2d35c8a0-64dd-48f6-991c-b37e72a79b55 1 United States Congress Enact or amend statutory authorities needed to strengthen identity and eligibility verification and access to relevant data. Federal agencies Use verified identity, eligibility, employment, wage, and other relevant information to prevent or detect fraudulent and erroneous payments. State-administered federally funded programs Administer programs using federal funding and potentially benefit from expanded access to federal fraud-prevention information resources. Fraud-Prevention Information ~ GAO states that millions of Americans receive federal payments through programs including Social Security, Medicare, social safety net programs, and disaster assistance. Such programs can be susceptible to fraud when individuals or businesses misrepresent their identities or apply for benefits for which they are not eligible. GAO identifies four congressional actions intended to help prevent fraudulent and erroneous payments. Identity & Eligibility Ensure that federal program applicants' identities and eligibility information are verified rather than accepted solely through self-attestation or self-certification. _88942fcc-9223-45e9-a049-7c6631df9d7d 1.1 United States Congress Establish requirements for verification of identity and eligibility information before federal payments are made. Federal program agencies Verify applicant identities and eligibility information before issuing payments when required. Federal benefit applicants Provide information necessary to establish identity and eligibility for federal benefits. Verified Identity and Eligibility ~ GAO recommends eliminating the use of self-attestation to determine identity and eligibility for federal programs. Some programs permit applicants to self-attest or self-certify, which can speed delivery by avoiding time spent verifying information. GAO notes that self-attestation was used frequently during the COVID-19 pandemic and associates its use with hundreds of billions of dollars lost to fraud. GAO states that much of this fraud could have been prevented or detected more quickly if agencies had been required to verify identities and information before making payments. The source recognizes an implicit tradeoff between speed of payment and verification controls. Do Not Pay Increase effective use of the Department of the Treasury's Do Not Pay program to verify recipient eligibility and prevent fraudulent or erroneous payments while protecting privacy. _bf48542c-5e8a-4b59-a373-1953eae86de3 1.2 U.S. Department of the Treasury Manage the Do Not Pay program and provide access to data used to verify payment eligibility. Federal agencies Use Do Not Pay data, as appropriate, to verify recipients before making federal payments. State-administered federally funded programs Use available Do Not Pay capabilities, where appropriate and authorized, to strengthen eligibility verification. Data subjects Have privacy and data-protection interests affected by expanded use and sharing of eligibility-verification information. Do Not Pay Utilization ~ Treasury's Do Not Pay program enables agencies to check prospective recipients against multiple databases before making payments. GAO reports that only 4 percent of federal programs fully use the program. Programs have cited resource constraints and privacy and data-protection concerns as barriers. GAO notes that state-administered programs using federal funding, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), can access Do Not Pay without charge but are not required to do so. GAO states that congressional action could help agencies and states overcome barriers while protecting privacy and could authorize Do Not Pay to access additional data sources. Employment & Wages Expand authorized access to employment, wage, and unemployment-benefit information needed to verify federal program eligibility, determine benefit amounts, and identify improper payments. _a0b4f69d-9615-4594-b419-bccdeca98f67 1.3 United States Congress Authorize appropriate additional program and agency access to the National Directory of New Hires subject to privacy and data protections. Federal program agencies Use authorized employment and wage data to verify eligibility, determine benefit amounts, and identify, prevent, or recover improper payments. Working Americans and unemployment-benefit recipients Have employment, wage, or unemployment-benefit information contained in the National Directory of New Hires and therefore have interests in both accurate program administration and appropriate data protection. National Directory of New Hires Access ~ GAO describes the National Directory of New Hires as containing employment and wage data on nearly every working American as well as information on people receiving unemployment benefits. GAO identifies the directory as an important resource for verifying program eligibility and determining benefit amounts but states that very few programs and agencies are legally authorized to access it. GAO recommends broader access with appropriate privacy and data protections and says such access could support government-wide efforts not only against fraud but also to identify, prevent, and recover payments made in error, referred to as improper payments. TANF Enable HHS to obtain state information needed to estimate, report, correct, and assess improper payments in the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. _1dad5c9a-6034-4e2d-ae85-10764f4a3627 1.4 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Oversee TANF and use state-supplied information to estimate improper payments, implement corrective actions, and assess their effectiveness. State TANF administering agencies Administer TANF and provide information needed for federal improper-payment estimation and oversight if Congress grants HHS the recommended authority. Families receiving TANF assistance Depend upon the integrity and effective administration of TANF funding intended to assist families needing help. TANF Improper-Payment Accountability ~ GAO identifies TANF as an approximately $17 billion annual program and describes it as an important resource for families needing assistance. HHS oversees TANF while states administer it. According to the source, HHS says it lacks legal authority to require states to provide information needed to estimate annual improper payments. GAO states that granting HHS this authority would increase accountability, enable collection of information needed for corrective actions, and support assessment of those actions' effectiveness in reducing fraudulent and other improper payments. The WatchBlog also references GAO expert testimony before Congress earlier in 2026 concerning TANF oversight. Contracts & Grants Reduce fraud and protect taxpayer funds by improving subaward transparency and preventing repeated engagement of fraudulent actors and poor performers. _7d87cb47-3ed7-4c9f-923d-21e0e5ae1a48 2 United States Congress Strengthen statutory requirements and oversight supporting fraud prevention in federal contracting and grants. Federal agencies Administer contracts and grants and use available information systems to protect federal funds from fraud and poor performance. Federal contractors Perform services under federal contracts and comply with applicable requirements for reporting, performance, and integrity. Federal grantees Receive and administer federal grant funding and comply with applicable requirements for reporting and stewardship. Subcontractors and subrecipients Receive federal funds indirectly through contractors or grant recipients and account for their use as required. American taxpayers Benefit from effective safeguards against fraud, waste, abuse, and poor performance involving federal contracts and grants. Contracting and Grant Integrity ~ GAO reports that the U.S. government frequently hires contractors to provide services and spent more than $792 billion on government contracts in the preceding fiscal year. The government also provided more than $1 trillion in grants and transfers to states and other entities for health care, education, development, and other services. GAO identifies two congressional actions to address fraud involving contracting and grants. Subawards Improve the completeness, accuracy, and quality of federal subaward information needed to oversee spending and prevent and detect fraud. _cab3bd91-9f43-4f92-80a0-b60ca2b6c08e 2.1 United States Congress Strengthen requirements and accountability for complete and accurate reporting of federal subaward information. Federal agencies Oversee federal award and subaward reporting and use comprehensive, high-quality information to identify potential fraud. Federal contractors Report required information concerning federal funds passed to subcontractors. Federal grantees Report required information concerning federal funds passed to subrecipients. Subcontractors and subrecipients Receive federal funding whose disposition and use should be visible through complete and accurate subaward information. Complete and Accurate Subaward Data ~ Contractors sometimes subcontract with other companies, and grant recipients frequently pass federal funds to subrecipients. GAO states that these subawards can create gaps in spending oversight. Such gaps limit the government's ability to use data analytics and artificial intelligence to prevent and detect fraud. GAO characterizes comprehensive, high-quality data as critical to combating fraud among subcontractors and other grant subrecipients. However, contractors and grantees are not always required to provide this information or held accountable when they fail to do so. GAO recommends congressional action to improve the quality of subaward information available through USAspending.gov. The source does not specify the particular legislative mechanism, reporting standard, completeness threshold, data-quality measure, or enforcement provision Congress should adopt. Fraudulent Actors & Poor Performers Reduce repeated engagement of fraudulent actors and poor performers by improving federal agencies' documentation, sharing, and use of contractor integrity information. _21f6a4fb-d61b-4e4a-a8c1-c951adcb8849 2.2 United States Congress Strengthen oversight and requirements for federal agency use of systems intended to prevent repeated engagement of fraudulent actors and poor performers. Federal agencies Document, share, and use information about contractor misconduct and poor performance to inform future contracting decisions. Federal contracting officials Use contractor integrity and performance information when making federal contracting decisions. Federal contractors Perform federal contracts in accordance with applicable legal, ethical, and performance requirements and be subject to documentation of relevant violations or misconduct. American taxpayers Benefit from contracting decisions that avoid repeated engagement of fraudulent actors and poor performers and protect public funds. Fraudulent Actor and Poor Performer Exclusion ~ GAO recommends improving federal agencies' use of systems intended to protect the United States from repeated fraudulent actors or poor performers. GAO states that federal agencies too often fail to document and share information about bad behavior by contractors. The source identifies contract violations involving fraud, waste, abuse, and human trafficking as examples of information that may not be adequately documented or shared. GAO states that such failures increase the risk that bad contractors will be rehired and taxpayer dollars jeopardized. The source does not identify in this WatchBlog passage the particular systems involved, specify the congressional action required, or prescribe criteria by which an actor should be classified as fraudulent or a contractor as a poor performer. Those details therefore have not been inferred in this rendition. Counter-Fraud Accountability Strengthen federal agency accountability for identifying, managing, reporting, and reducing fraud risks and losses. _fd30c2a7-89af-4cb4-95e8-f99f7237609b 3 United States Congress Exercise legislative and oversight authorities to strengthen federal agency accountability for combating fraud. Federal agencies Assess fraud risks, implement counter-fraud controls, estimate fraud losses, and demonstrate progress in protecting federal funds. U.S. Government Accountability Office Evaluate federal fraud risks and counter-fraud practices and recommend actions to improve accountability and protection of federal funds. Agency leaders and program managers Manage federal programs and bear responsibility for identifying and addressing fraud risks affecting those programs. American taxpayers Benefit from increased accountability for preventing fraud and protecting federal resources. Agency Counter-Fraud Accountability ~ GAO identifies three congressional actions for holding agencies accountable for combating fraud. The recommendations address implementation of leading fraud-risk-management practices, estimation and reporting of fraud losses, and establishment of a permanent government-wide analytics capability. Together they address both agency-specific accountability and government-wide capacity to identify and respond to fraud. Fraud Risk Ensure that federal agencies establish and implement comprehensive approaches for identifying, assessing, and managing fraud risks. _9c83469f-c9bf-41c8-a771-cbdab12e90a8 3.1 United States Congress Strengthen requirements and oversight for federal agency implementation of effective fraud risk management practices. Federal agencies Implement leading practices for identifying, assessing, responding to, and monitoring fraud risks. U.S. Government Accountability Office Provide the Fraud Risk Framework and related guidance for managing fraud risks in federal programs. Agency leaders and program managers Integrate fraud risk management into program planning, operations, controls, and oversight. Fraud Risk Management ~ GAO recommends requiring agencies to establish fraud risk management programs consistent with leading practices. GAO's Fraud Risk Framework provides leading practices intended to help federal managers combat fraud and preserve integrity in government agencies and programs. The framework describes activities related to committing to combating fraud, assessing fraud risks, designing and implementing an antifraud strategy with specific control activities, and evaluating outcomes and adapting activities as needed. The WatchBlog indicates that agencies' implementation of these practices should be strengthened through congressional action. This rendition expresses the intended result rather than treating implementation of the framework itself as the objective. Fraud Loss Establish reliable government-wide estimates and reporting of federal fraud losses to support informed counter-fraud decisions and accountability. _62ad8ab4-34c8-426d-b26f-b976c51c65b6 3.2 United States Congress Establish or strengthen requirements for federal agencies to estimate and report fraud losses. Federal agencies Develop and report reliable estimates of fraud losses affecting their programs and activities. U.S. Government Accountability Office Estimate government-wide fraud losses and evaluate federal approaches to measuring and reporting fraud. Congressional policymakers and oversight officials Use reliable fraud-loss information to establish priorities, conduct oversight, and evaluate counter-fraud investments. American taxpayers Gain greater transparency concerning the scale and financial consequences of fraud affecting federal programs. Fraud Loss Measurement and Reporting ~ GAO recommends requiring agencies to estimate and report fraud losses. GAO has estimated that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud. The breadth of this range reflects uncertainty inherent in estimating fraud that may be concealed, undetected, or inconsistently measured. GAO argues that agencies need reliable information about fraud losses to understand the magnitude of the problem, identify priorities, determine appropriate counter-fraud investments, and evaluate whether efforts are reducing losses. The source does not provide a single target amount or percentage by which fraud losses should be reduced. No quantitative target has therefore been invented in this Part 1 rendition. Fraud Analytics Establish a permanent government-wide capability to use data analytics and related technologies to identify, prevent, and combat fraud across federal programs. _6e62e60c-49ef-4fd3-8424-4d125e22bd90 3.3 United States Congress Authorize and support a permanent government-wide analytics capability for combating fraud. Federal agencies Participate in and use government-wide analytical capabilities to identify and prevent fraudulent activity affecting federal programs. Federal oversight and investigative entities Use cross-government data and analytical capabilities to identify suspicious patterns, potential fraud, and opportunities for preventive action. Federal data and analytics professionals Apply data integration, analytics, and related technologies to improve detection and prevention of fraud. American taxpayers Benefit from government-wide analytical capabilities designed to prevent losses and improve stewardship of public resources. Government-Wide Fraud Analytics Capability ~ GAO recommends establishing a permanent government-wide analytics center for combating fraud. The recommendation reflects lessons from pandemic-era efforts demonstrating the value of combining data from across government and applying analytics to identify potentially fraudulent activity. A government-wide capability could address fraud that crosses agency and program boundaries and could enable agencies to identify suspicious patterns that may not be apparent when data are examined separately. GAO's recommendation is for a permanent capability rather than merely a temporary response to a particular emergency or fraud episode. The source emphasizes data analytics as a means of strengthening prevention and detection. This rendition therefore expresses the Objective as the intended government-wide counter-fraud capability rather than the activity of creating an organizational entity. The source does not specify in this WatchBlog article the permanent center's organizational home, governance structure, staffing level, budget, technical architecture, data-sharing rules, privacy safeguards, performance measures, or implementation timetable. Those matters have not been invented in this rendition. 2026-09-02 https://www.gao.gov/blog/nine-ways-congress-can-combat-fraud-federal-government Owen Ambur Owen.Ambur@verizon.net