the full Committee to consider the following: 1) H.R. 8463, Pre-Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act; 2) H.R. 8464, Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act; 3) H.R. 8312, Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act; 4) H.R. 8467, Zeroing Out Monetary Benefits Improperly Expended Act; 5) H.R. 8428, Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act; 6) H.R. 8466, Taxpayer Resources Used in Emergencies Accountability Act; 7) H.R. 8340, Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act; 8) H.R. 1755, Timely and Accurate Benefits Act; 9) H.R. 8107, Government Audit and Accountability of Federally Funded State-Administered Programs Act; 10) Several postal naming measures.
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House Oversight and Government Reform U.S. House of Representatives
Follow its sittingsSpeaker 1
These reforms are centered around increasing the use and effectiveness of the treasury's existing do not pay system. It is currently only utilized by 4% of eligible programs across the government. Clearly, Congress's intent in establishing the Do Not Pay system is not being met. This bill will address the procedural hurdles agencies face in using the system. It brings agencies into compliance with the required anti-fraud, do not pay system checks.
The bill also enables the treasury to bring additional necessary datasets into the do not pay system. It does all of this with appropriate data protection safeguards to ensure that personal and sensitive information is strictly protected, as we closely coordinate with privacy stakeholders in drafting this legislation. The reforms in this legislation are common sense and very long overdue. And I'm confident that ensuring more agencies use the Do Not Pay system is one of the most effective policy reforms Congress can pursue to meaningfully curb fraudulent payments before such funds go out the door and are lost forever. I encourage my colleagues to support this critical legislation, and I recognize Mr. Walkinshaw for his statement.
Speaker 3
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Very happy to support the bill. As you laid out, the Prepayment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Act would help prevent improper payments from making it out the door in the first place. It would require that agencies verify information about payments to the treasury before those payments are made, helping to ensure that payments are going to the right people and organizations to begin with, instead of relying on investigations after the fact to claw back misspent dollars. I wanna thank Chairman Comer and his staff for working closely with our team in a bipartisan way on this legislation.
I think that work helped to improve the privacy protections and the transparency provisions in the ANS that we have before us today. I plan to support the bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yields back. I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record a letter of support from the Data Foundation for HR 8463. Without objections, ordered. Do any other members wish to be heard on this legislation? Seeing none, the question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute. All those in favor signify by saying aye.
Aye. All those opposed, say no. The penure chair, the ayes have it, the amendment is agreed to. The question is now favorably reporting HR 84 63 as amended. All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
Aye. All those opposed, say no. For what purpose does the gentleman, Mister Chairman, I'd like to ask for a recorded vote. A recorded vote is ordered by Mr. Sessions from Texas as previously announced. Further proceedings on the question will be postponed.
Our next item for consideration is H.R. 8464, the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
H.R. 8464, the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act, a bill to amend title 31 United States Code to authorize pausing and segmenting payments, and further purposes.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. Without objection to order, the chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The clerk can please designate the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 8464 is offered by Mister Comer of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered as read, the substitute would be considered as original text for the purposes of further amendment. I now recognize myself for five minutes for statement on the bill and the amendment. Fraud in federal programs is rampant across the country, and it happens in every state. For example, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee's investigation into Minnesota's social services programs uncovered a whopping $9,000,000,000 in potentially stolen taxpayer dollars by fraudsters. These criminals enrich themselves by stealing taxpayer dollars meant to feed children, support autistic kids, and house low-income seniors and Americans with disabilities.
Americans are fed up with this abuse and expect action from the government entrusted with their money. Just yesterday, federal authorities raided more than 20 locations in Minneapolis as part of an ongoing federal fraud investigation. It's reported that it includes the Quality Learning Center, a so-called child care center with no actual children. I applaud the Justice Department's efforts to hold these fraudsters accountable and recover taxpayer dollars. But taxpayers demand that we stop the theft of their tax dollars before it happens.
Congress needs to pursue serious reforms that stop the pervasive pay and chase model of expending federal funds once and for all. The stopping fraudulent payments act adds critical safeguards to the processing of federal payments to ensure they are made in the right amounts and to the right people before an agency awards funds or requests a payment be disbursed. Our federal laws currently lack such a direct requirement in the administration of federal financial assistance and benefit programs. Additionally, the Treasury Department is not fully empowered to stop payments requested by federal programs that show elevated risk for fraud. They can only process payments the agencies issue.
Under current law, agencies can issue payments despite flags received from the treasury's do not pay system or other tools that might indicate fraud. This legislation requires US Treasury to pause and return suspicious payments to agency programs based on fraud risk signals obtained from checking the Do Not Pay system. It also requires agencies to expedite and address payments flagged as having an elevated risk of fraud, without impacting existing laws. This provides additional insurance assurance to the American taxpayer that money is being paid to the right recipient and for the right amount. It will also help agencies in the American public to understand when a legitimate recipient identity is being stolen and used for fraudulent activities by criminals.
Lastly, to help Congress oversee progress made in addressing payments with elevated fraud risk, the US Treasury will summarize the number of return payments, corrective outcomes, and associated cost savings achieved by this bill. I encourage my colleagues to support this critical bill, and I recognize the ranking member for his statement.
Speaker 3
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I oppose HR 8464. The American people rely on critical federal programs to make ends meet, and this is a bill that could make it harder for some Americans due to the process delays it would create. It aims to stop improper payments, which we all agree is important. Unfortunately, it uses vague criteria, which could be used to stop many legitimate payments, creating more red tape, delays, dysfunction, and costs.
The American people want the programs they pay for to work. They don't want unnecessary red tape, delayed legitimate payments, or more dysfunction. I oppose the bill, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentleman yields back. I ask you now consent to enter to the record letters of support for various anti-fraud bills we are considering today from GovCon Navigators, National Taxpayers Union, Program Integrity Alliance. Without objection, it's ordered. Do any other members seek recognition on this bill? Seeing none, the question is now in the amendment and the nature of a substitute.
All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. No. And the opinion chair, the ayes having it, the amendment is agreed to.
The question is now, chairman.
Speaker 1
The next one. Next one. Sorry. If that's what you want. Yes, sir.
Okay. The question is now favorably reporting HR 84 64 as amended. All those in favor signify by saying, I. All those opposed say no.
Speaker 1
A recorded vote is ordered by mister Waukesha's previously announced. Further proceedings of the question will be postponed. Our next item for consideration is H.R. 8312, the Fraud Prevention Accountability Act. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
H.R. 8312, the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act, a bill to establish fraud prevention and program integrity functions and data sharing authorities within the Department of Treasury, and a permanent government-wide Inspector General for fraud, accountability, and recovery, and further purposes.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment at any point without objection. So order the chair recognize himself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The clerk pleases as any the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 8312 is offered by Mister Kumar of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered as read, and the substitute will be considered as the original text for the purposes of further amendment. I now recognize the sponsor of the bill HR 8312, the Fraud Prevention Accountability Act. The chairman of the general, of the government operations subcommittee, Mister Sessions.
Speaker 4
Mister chairman, thank you very much. Mister chairman, in the spirit that you have brought a number of these bills to the floor today. So I bring this, and that is that over the last few years on a bipartisan basis, Mister Infumeya and I, myself, as well as our subcommittee and members from both sides, have delved into the problem, the issues. And we are today trying to find a way to give an answer to the tremendous amount of payments that have been misdirected, misapplied, or that turn out to simply be fraud. And so today, I bring forward HR 83-12.
Mister chairman, we have worked on this together and see the problem together. We also are thinking that we see a better answer today. So for too long, fraud has been tolerated, I believe, across this government as a cost of doing business, an unfortunate sacrifice that has made, really, government and Congress look bad. And so today, through the work that we are doing, we have one thing that's very clear, and that is there are answers to the problems. HR 8312 charges forward by empowering the government to make sure that it more fully understands and can communicate the problem that we have.
So today, we give a sense of purpose that every single member of this committee, certainly our subcommittee, and of Congress will be able to say we have done something about misdirected payments, waste, fraud, and abuse to the tune of, as the chairman spoke about, $2,000,000,000,000. So what we are proposing today is through the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act, the steps that are crucial to fundamentally making progress in addressing this, and the responsibility of the corresponding government to participate. This bill ensures that the anti-fraud capacities developed during COVID through the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee do not simply fade away. We're trying to create today a permanent inspector general within the Treasury Department, in essence, aligning these capacities closer to Treasury that can reap the most benefit. I understand my democratic colleagues have some questions about this.
And as a matter of fact, Miss Waukechal and I had a conversation just a few minutes ago about making sure we have a clear idea of how this bill works. So I wanna be clear that Treasury will play the leading government-wide role in preventing fraud and improper payments. For too long, we have struggled with each other over the issue of who is supposed to have access to private information, who is supposed to be able to know Social Security numbers? Who is supposed to have the authority and the responsibility? And the prac has done their job to collect data and information about things that we believe point them and should point to other government agencies to potential fraud.
So this puts in place a permanent fixture. It aligns with the inspector general of the treasury department, and it puts all of the agencies in better position where they can not only deal with each other, but look at each other in terms of law enforcement and an opportunity to go and do something about instead of a misdirected payment. Let's go catch the fraud. Mister chairman, I wanna say that the work that's been done on a bipartisan basis over the last year and a half has been critical to this understanding of the problem, and I hope the answer is today. So, mister chairman, I would move forward and yield my time.
Speaker 1
Very good. The sponsor of the bill yields back. Chair recognized Mr. Waukesha.
Speaker 3
Deeply appreciate, Chairman Sessions willing to engage with me and our side on this. Unfortunately, today, I'm gonna oppose the bill, for a couple of reasons. And one, I think there is bipartisan agreement as to the success of the prac, and it is reauthorized through 2034, I believe, thanks to the big, beautiful bill. So it's permanent or as permanent as things are around here. And I think when you look at the success of the prac, that success is based on not just the current model, but on where the current model is located.
And its location within SIGI has allowed for cross-agency forensic analysis of money flows and the ability to coordinate across dozens of IGs across the government. I'm concerned that locating it in treasury will weaken its ability to compel cooperation, with other IGs across the country. I wasn't here, as I know the chairman will remind me, for the hearing in 2020, but I did go back and watch it. And one of the witnesses there said that the prac's independence, and I believe locating it within SIGE is the most independent location for it to be located, was, quote, the secret sauce. And I have concerns that locating it within the Treasury IG could weaken that independence.
But I know that chairman Sessions is committed to continuing to engage in dialogue on this, and I'm committed to that as well. But in terms of the bill that's before us today, I'm going to have to oppose the bill. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentleman yields back. I'll never recognize myself in a statement. The Fraud Prevention Accountability Act will dramatically enhance how agencies prevent fraud during any future national emergency, and will ensure the resources created to investigate pandemic-era fraud are permanently preserved. Sophisticated fraudsters know that when the government responds to a crisis, agencies often let their guard down. The COVID pandemic exposed how serious these failures can be, especially for new and expanded financial assistance and benefits programs.
Hundreds of billions of dollars were lost because agencies did not build effective fraud protections into their program or did not implement them until the funds were already out the door and long gone. The government also lacked a centralized resource for data and advanced analysis that could have quickly helped shine a light on fraudulent activities. Instead, such a resource represented by the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee or PRAC was built on the fly, as pandemic relief funds were already being expended by agencies. Delays in implementing fraud prevention processes and taking swift investigative action hurt American taxpayers. It's estimated that if frack were established prior to the pandemic, as this bill ensures for future emergency relief efforts, $79,000,000,000 in fraud could have been prevented.
The Fraud Prevention Accountability Act ensures that there is a permanent government-wide anti-fraud analytics function to assist agency IGs with their fraud work, provided by providing cross-agency fraud detection and data analysis tools. It establishes a permanent IG for fraud, accountability, and recovery, with the valuable resources and functions built by the prac. This ensures proper coordination with the government-wide program integrity and improper payment tools maintained by the US Treasury's Bureau of the Fiscal Service. This structure was independently validated by the minority witness at our most recent government operations subcommittee hearing on fraud, where the former executive director of the Pratt talked about how the Pratt, quote, needs to be and is working towards being closer aligned with Do Not Pay and the Department of Treasury, end quote. This eliminates the need to start from scratch in the event of Congress passing a future emergency supplemental spending relief.
I thank my colleague, Mr. Sessions, chairman of the government operations subcommittee, for introducing this important legislation, which is based on the insights of numerous hearings. His subcommittee is held with ranking member Mfume to understand what Congress needs to do to combat fraud and improper payments. I encourage my colleagues to support this common sense bill, and I yield back. Does any other member seek recognition? See?
Yes, sir.
Speaker 5
Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Look. I have the deepest respect for the gentleman from Texas, mister Sessions, and he is an honorable and a good man.
And my comments do not necessarily reflect upon the quality of this proposal. However, I do oppose it. But the overall theme of this hearing is going after fraud, and it pains me greatly that we know where there's a lot of fraud. We even know the address. 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
And we ignore the that that is fraud central. It is fraud central. And the president's conduct, you know, in terms of foisting this fraud that the elections were stolen even though he went to court 60 times with mister Giuliani and every single judge struck that down and said there was no evidence of that, yet he perpetrates that fraud continually and undermines the integrity of our elections and causes people to distrust our electoral process. The fraud that he is now perpetrating on mail in voting. I mean, we all know I know in your heart of hearts, you know that mail in voting is proper and that in a lot of states, including some very red states like Utah, you have huge percentage of the people who are voting by mail, and it has integrity, and it is solid.
And yet the president is describing it as a scam voting. That's another fraud that he's perpetrating on. I could go down a long list. His putting his name on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. I'm from Boston.
And, you know, in my childhood, I studied greatly. I was in the third grade, I think, when President Kennedy was assassinated. And I know his story. He was a war hero. He's the only president that ever received a Purple Heart because of his heroism in the Solomon Islands during World War Two.
And yet this president put his name up, and by the way, President Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy raised all the money for that performing arts center. And it's the only building in Washington, DC that carries his name, that recognizes him officially. And this president perpetrated a fraud upon the American people by placing his name above president Kennedy's name. Now there will be a time when this president and my friends on the other side of the aisle who will like to honor president Trump. And it is their right to do so, but you should not take the name of John F. Kennedy off of that or put it in a subsidiary position because he was front and center in terms of creating that performing arts center.
A lot of fraud going on here in this country, and at the root of it is at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and we see it every single day. And it pains me greatly that we do not stand up and call out that fraud. Some of us do. But it's not stereo. It's just from one side of the aisle.
And if we're gonna take this mission seriously about rooting out fraud, we ought to focus on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and go after the, you know, like I said, fraud central and not kid ourselves. We know what this is about. You can look at the emolument clauses violations that we've had where foreign governments are pouring money into the Trump family. Pouring money. Billions.
Not hundreds of thousands. Billions. And yet we ignore it. That's wrong. It's not good for the country, for our image in the world, and it is certainly not in harmony with the ideals of our constitution and laws.
Again, I respect the gentleman from Texas, and I respect his efforts. But, I would just ask us to rethink about our true motives here and our responsibilities to the American people. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Good one yields back. Do any other members seek recognition? Seeing none, the votes have been called. We're gonna go ahead and vote on this, and then I'll make an announcement about the votes. The question is now on the amendment, the nature of the substitute.
All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. No. Opinion and chair of the ayes have it.
The amendments agreed to. The question is now on favorably reporting HR 8312 as amended. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no.
No. In the opinion of the chair.
Speaker 1
A recorded vote is requested by Mr. Walkinshaw as previously announced. Further proceedings on the question will be postponed. So since votes have been called, pursuant to the previous order, the chair declares the committee is in recess subject to the chair. We plan to reconvene 20 minutes after I make the last vote. And I say that because they could hold the vote open for a long time, and it could be at the request of some of the people on my side of the aisle.
So we're gonna come back in 20 minutes after I vote, and I will vote as quickly as they put that last vote on there. So the committee stands in recess. Two hours.
Speaker 1
Okay. Good deal. The committee will come back to order. Our next item for consideration is HR 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
HR 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act, a bill to amend title five United States code to establish a mandatory anti-fraud and improper payment training program for federal program administrators, to provide for the availability of such training to state and local entities administering federally funded programs, and for other purposes.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment at any point without objections. Ordered, the chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment the nature of substitute. The clerk, please designate the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 8428 is offered by Mister Kummer of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered read. The substitute will be considered as regional text for the purposes of further amendment. I now recognize myself for five minutes for a statement on the bill. HR 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act. I support this legislation.
Billions of taxpayer dollars are lost every year to increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes. Unfortunately, federal agencies working to safeguard these funds are often outmatched by the increasing sophistication of fraudsters and criminals. The Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act recognizes this growing challenge and helps fortify the financial defenses of our federal programs against bad actors. It requires a government-wide anti-fraud training program for agency officials like grant managers and auditors so they are adequately trained on best practices for preventing and addressing fraud in agency programs. Specifically, the bill requires US Treasury to establish and maintain a government-wide anti-fraud training program for federal agencies, and to also provide the training program to state and local entities administering federally funded programs at no cost.
This training will ensure agency program management, state-level officials are better equipped to confront the challenges associated with fraud and improper payments by utilizing the tools already in place. Such tools include implementing agency fraud risk prevention frameworks and utilizing the treasury's do not pay system. The fight against fraud and federal programs requires our federal employees to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to combat fraud on the front lines. I wanna thank my colleague, Mister Grothman from Wisconsin, for introducing this important and forward-looking legislation. I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan common-sense bill, and I now recognize a ranking member for his statement.
Speaker 7
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I also support the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act. This is a bill that establishes training programs to help federal workers. Of course, we're all supportive of identifying fraud and proper risk payment. It would help teach best practices for detecting, preventing, and addressing fraud and improper payments.
Better training for federal employees means also better outcomes for the American public, and we support this bill and yield back.
Speaker 1
Ranking member yields back. Does any other member seek recognition? Oh, Mister Krishmorte from Illinois.
Speaker 8
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr. Ranking Member. I'm pleased to strongly support HR 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act that I introduced alongside our colleague representative Glenn Grothman. This bill would establish a government-wide program to train federal employees to identify and assess fraud risk and improper payments in federal programs. The training program will ensure that employees understand best practices to detect and prevent fraud.
By properly equipping the federal workforce with the knowledge they need to up program integrity, we're not only safeguarding taxpayer funds. We are also reinforcing public trust and ensuring that eligible Americans receive the benefits they have earned without unnecessary barriers. Folks on both sides of the aisle agree that fraud within government programs must be addressed as soon as it is identified, and I'm grateful to lead the charge in accomplishing this purpose. Unfortunately, politically motivated accusations of fraud have often been used to justify sweeping program and grant cancellations that cut off critical safety net programs from entire states, including my own state of Illinois, as well as others that depend on them. Everyone here today understands that rooting out fraud in federal programs is essential, but we must ensure that Americans who need assistance can access it without confusion or disruption.
Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar taken away from the American people. With this bipartisan bill advancing through committee, we're giving federal, state, and local officials the knowledge to detect risks early, strengthen safeguards, and protect taxpayer funds, all while making sure eligible Americans can access the services they've earned. I'm proud to work across the aisle to deliver stronger accountability and smarter oversight, and I hope everyone will vote for this bill. Thank you, I yield back.
Speaker 1
Thank you, Mr. Chris Morte. I ask United's consent to enter into the record a letter of support from the America First Policy Institute to end pay and chase as my stopping fraudulent payments act H.R. 8464 aims to do, without objection to order. I ask you that as consent. Okay. That's all the same.
Does any other member seek recognition for the bill? Mister Palmer, do you have anything to mention about fraud before mister Grofman, the sponsor of the bill, gets here?
Speaker 9
I thank the chairman. I just said fraud is bad. Yeah. Now we've worked on this for almost from the time I came into Congress. It's across the board, and I think encompasses a broader spectrum than just fraud, than proper payments.
I've talked with the comptroller general on many occasions about these issues and what we can do to resolve them. So I think, this legislation puts us in a better position. It's not gonna solve it all, but it puts us in a much better position to advance on this to try to eliminate the fraud as we go along. When I've talked to people about this and I start talking about the amount of money that's involved and the fact that we do everything in ten year budgets. When you take into account the interest that we're paying on money that's set out fraudulently, it's just in saying that we've continued to allow this to happen.
And with that, mister chairman, I'll be happy to yield back. Yep.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yields back. Chair now recognized as a sponsor of the bill, Mr. Grofman from Wisconsin.
Speaker 6
Thank you for calling me. Yes, sir. One thing we can get out of here, in addition to this bill, is if anybody anywhere in this institution either thinks we need a new federal program or ought to expand an old federal program. They can remember this day and the huge amounts of money that are always fraudulent, stolen out of practically every federal program. Now, mister chairman, fraud continues to be a significant challenge across federal programs, and addressing it requires better coordination and stronger oversight at every level.
That is why I was pleased to introduce HR 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act, alongside representative Christa Morty. At its core, this is common sense, I was just lecturing one of the staff. They use everything as a common sense thing around here. But I'm glad I've got one thing that has got common sense too. At its core, this is a common sense bipartisan effort to strengthen oversight and protect taxpayer dollars.
Time and again, this committee is heard from one of the biggest vulnerabilities in federal programs. It's not just bad actors, but gaps in training and coordination among those responsible for administering these programs. To better prevent and address fraud, experts have consistently recommended investing some time in the workforce, ensuring that the personnel have the training, tools, and knowledge necessary to identify the risks before they become costly problems. This bill takes that recommendation seriously. HR 8428 requires treasury and coordination with management, budget, and personnel management to establish a government-wide antifraud training program so that some of these staff members can see the danger before it makes the newspaper ten years later.
It also directs the treasury to provide technical assistance to state and local partners so they can better align with federal standards when administering federally funded programs. In previous hearings, this committee has heard troubling testimony that some officials responsible for determining eligibility or certifying payments had limited training or experience in identifying fraud risk. This is a problem, and someone probably just isn't that bright either. When individuals are not equipped to spot red flags, it increases the likelihood that taxpayer dollars will be misspent. This bill addresses the gap directly.
It ensures that program administrators, managers, and financial officials are better prepared to detect and prevent fraud, while also strengthening coordination across federal, state, and local levels. At the end of the day, preventing fraud is not just about enforcement after the fact. It's about building systems that stop it before it happens. It starts with a well-trained workforce. I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation.
I should point out, I think part of our problem is we have some employees who just don't care either. And I yield back. Gentlemen, yields back. Any other membership recognition? Miss Talib?
Speaker 10
Thank you so much, chairman. I wanted to ask, United's consent to submit for the record a letter from the Electronic Privacy Information Center who oppose HR 8312, 8463, and 8464. And it's primarily regarding privacy protections and program integrity, the imbalance of it, and the fact that it creates a national data bank, which is incredibly dangerous, as they say in the letter. So I wanted to submit the letter again in opposition to all three bills.
Speaker 1
Without objections to the order, do any other members seek recognition? Seeing none. The question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye.
All opposed, say no. And the opinion chair of the ayes having the amendment is agreed to. The question is now in favor of reporting HR 83 12 as amended. All those in favor signify by saying "aye." Aye.
All those opposed, say no. And the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Mister Palmer, what purpose do you seek recognition for? A recorded vote is ordered by Mr. Palmer from Alabama. He's previously announced further proceedings on the question will be postponed.
Our next item for consideration is H.R. 8467, the Zeroing Out Monetary Benefits and Properly Expended Act or Zombie Act. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
HR 8467. The zeroing out monetary benefits and properly expended Zombie Act, a bill to reform the Payment Integrity Information Act of 2019, to ensure executive agencies focus on fraud prevention and further purposes.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. Without objection, it's ordered. The chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The clerk believes to designate the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 8467 is offered by Mister Comer of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered as read, and the substitute will be considered the original text for the purpose of further amendment. I now recognize the sponsor of the bill, Representative Palmer from Alabama, for his statement.
Speaker 9
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I rise in support of HR 84670, zeroing out monetary benefits and properly expended act or the zombie act. While Americans across the country struggle to pay their taxes and support their families, the federal government continues to squander their hard-earned money. When I first came to Congress, I made this a top priority. At that time, the improper payments were about 150000000000 a year.
And I wanna remind everybody that we do everything in ten-year windows. That would be 1,500,000,000,000 plus interest, because we're sending out money that we're having to borrow because we're in deficit. And now the estimate is somewhere between 230 and 250,000,000,000. Since 2003, the federal government has mismanaged nearly 3,000,000,000,000 dollars in taxpayer dollars intended to fund programs that serve the people. In talking with the comptroller general about this and reading their reports, over half of this occurs at the federal level.
Failure to verify eligibility for programs, antiquated data systems, which is a huge problem across the federal government. Just six years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic led to what is now known as the greatest misallocation, and in some cases, outright theft of taxpayer funds in history. These improper payments represent a violation of the public trust. Without systematic reform, we're gonna continue to violate that trust to increasingly unsustainable levels. That's why I'm pleased to sponsor the Zombie Act, which represents an important step to laying this broken system permanently to rest.
The Zombie Act reforms federal law to proactively prevent improper payments before the money goes out the door. It will replace the current costly practice of completing a yearly improper payment estimate with ongoing risk assessments on a rolling basis. Assessments will focus on a comprehensive review of risk that includes how agencies are implementing fraud prevention best practices. These best practices include the government accountability office's fraud risk framework, which was published in 2015, the year I came into office. In addition to these reforms, a whole-of-government approach is necessary to safeguard the faith and credit of American taxpayers.
The bill addresses this by requiring increased coordination among the inspector generals, the US Treasury, and other partners via annual meetings. These annual meetings will be open to heads of federal agencies or a designee of their choice to help identify, prevent, and proper payments that result in financial loss to the government. By implementing these reforms, agencies will be able to pivot their focus from compliance activities to mitigating improper payments. I urge my colleagues to support the Zombie Act. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Giving yields back. Any other members seek recognition? I recognize the right member. Yeah.
Speaker 7
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Support the zeroing out of monetary benefits expended act. Improper payments reduce the trust of the American people and the federal government, and waste, of course, valuable taxpayer dollars. The bill is simple, and we strongly support it. These are common sense measures to help prevent improper payments and promote accountability when improper payments are made.
Support this bill. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yields back. I'll just say I strongly support the bill, and I appreciate the sponsor, Representative Palmer. You've been a champion on fiscal responsibility for a long time, and I appreciate your work on this bill. Seeing no further request.
Speaker 4
Mister chairman, thank you very much. I wanna applaud the gentleman from Alabama. I think that Gary has been a valuable part of watching, learning, listening, and acting. And what I think is that what he's doing here is a piece part, an important piece part to what we need. And I wanna publicly thank the gentleman, not just for his words and action, but he's also provided me a good bit of feedback about my behavior as it relates to trying to do something about this debt issue that we've got and the unintended payments and the fraud and all these things.
So I strongly support this, and I'm pleased to see that he was able to secure that from the minority. And I think this is a great bipartisan bill, and I applaud the gentleman.
Speaker 1
Very good. Any other membership recognition? Seeing none, the questions now on the amendment and the nature of a substitute. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.
All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The amendments agreed to. The question is now on favorably reporting HR 847 as amended. All those in favor, say aye.
Aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, for what purpose does Mister Sessions seek recognition?
Speaker 1
A recorded vote is ordered by Mr. Sessions from Texas. As previously announced, further proceedings on the question will be postponed. Our next item for consideration is HR 8466, the Taxpayer Resources Used in Emergencies or True Accountability Act. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
HR 8466, the taxpayer resources used in emergencies. True Accountability Act. A bill to require certain agencies to develop plans for internal control in the event of an emergency or crisis, and for other purposes.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment. Any point without objection to the order. The chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment. The nature of a substitute, the court pleads as an anti-amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment. The nature of a substitute to HR 8466 is offered by mister Comer of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered as read. The substitute would be considered the original text for the purposes of further amendment. I now recognize myself for five minutes for a statement on the bill and the amendment. From the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were concerns that the trillions of dollars in relief payments were vulnerable to fraud. Agencies rushed to get money out the door, in some cases loosening guardrails to make access easier and more efficient.
The Taxpayer Resources Used in Emergencies Accountability Act, or the True Accountability Act, takes action to ensure agencies are prepared to protect taxpayer dollars from fraud schemes during future national emergencies. Payment integrity stakeholders have recommended that programs assess their susceptibility to fraud, the office of management and budget prepare guidance for emergency funding, and an agency develop a plan to mitigate fraud in these future emergency situations. The true accountability act accomplishes this for future emergency legislation by requiring the OMB to issue guidance and for agencies to develop plans for internal controls for use in future emergencies. When an emergency occurs and money needs to get out the door quickly, it's imperative that federal agencies and programs have strong financial controls in place from the start, rather than developing them after the fact. I wanna thank Representative Biggs from Arizona for his work in developing this important legislation.
I now recognize the ranking member for his statement.
Speaker 7
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Now, when emergencies such as natural disasters or pandemics strike, the government has an obvious responsibility to act quickly to help the American public recover. We've always learned how critical it is to have good emergency plans, particularly during COVID. The true accountability act would help develop control plans to prevent fraud and improper payments during national emergencies, before they occur. We support this bill, I yield.
Speaker 1
this back. Gentlemen, yields back. I know we have an amendment. But before we get to the amendment, is there any other member seeking recognition to speak on the underlying bill? Seeing none, for what purpose does Mister Walkinshaw seek recognition?
Speaker 2
An amendment to the amendment in nature of a substitute to HR 8466 is offered by Mister Walkinshaw, Virginia.
Speaker 3
Mister Wauconchow. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I wanna thank Mister Biggs and Mister Subramunyam for putting together a really solid bipartisan piece of legislation. As you and the ranking member noted, the bill requires agencies to develop internal control plans aimed at preventing improper payments in the wake of emergencies. It's exactly the kind of policy we need to make sure we prevent fraud and improper payments.
My amendment, which is cosponsored by Mister Subramanium, strengthens the underlying bill by requiring agencies to conduct after action reviews within 180 days of obligating emergency funds, and requires OMB to incorporate the findings of those reviews into reports to Congress. The reviews will assess whether internal controls actually prevented improper payments and fraud, identify any gaps or failures in implementation, and produce recommendations to prevent improper payments in future emergencies. The amendment also requires IGs to be consulted in these reviews, adding an independent check on the process. The amendment ensures that the bill as a whole creates a cycle of continuous improvement, requiring agencies to plan ahead to prevent fraud, evaluate what worked and what failed after emergencies occur, and then incorporate those lessons into future planning efforts in a way that better prepares both agencies and Congress for the next emergency. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yields back. I'll recognize myself. I support this amendment which requires agencies to do an after action review of their internal controls and expending emergency funds. This will provide an important check on agency plans and inform updates in preparation for future disasters. We've spoken with representative Biggs.
He supports the amendment as well, so, I encourage support of the amendment. Any other members seek recognition on the amendment? Yes, sir, Mr. Sugarman. Mister Chair.
Speaker 11
I support the amendment as well. I think having a review of these internal control plans, whenever there's an emergency, is a good idea. It'll strengthen the bill. So I support and yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yield to any other recognition? Seeing none, do it. The question is now on the amendment offered by Mister Walkinshaw. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no.
In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the Walkinshaw amendment is agreed to. The question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute. All those in favor signify by saying, aye. All those opposed, say no. And the penum chair of the ayes having the amendment is agreed to.
Question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 8466 as amended. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion, chair, for what purpose did mister Timmons seek recognition?
He asked for a recorded vote or something.
Speaker 1
Recorded vote is ordered by Mr. Timmons from South Carolina. As previously announced, further proceedings on the question will be postponed. Our next item for consideration is HR 8340, the taxpayer funds oversight and accountability act. The clerk can please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
HR 8340, the Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act, a bill to modify the government-wide financial management plan for other purposes.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment. Any point without objection, so ordered. The chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. The clerk, please designate the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to H.R. 8340 as offered by Mister Comer of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered as read, and the substitute will be considered as original text for the purposes of further amendment. I now recognize myself for five minutes for a statement on the bill and the amendment. Actually, I'm gonna recognize Mr. Timmons. Would you like to speak on your bill since you're the Thank you, mister Timmons.
Speaker 12
Yeah. And I wanna thank my colleague, Mister Minh, for co-leading this important piece of legislation. The CFO act of 1990 was a landmark achievement that professionalized federal financial management, created accountability structures that didn't exist before, and gave Congress real visibility into how agencies were spending taxpayer dollars. But that was 36 years ago. The federal government has grown dramatically since then.
Financial systems have become far more complex, and the oversight tools Congress relies on have not kept pace. GAO has repeatedly flagged federal financial management systems as high-risk. Improper payments have been a persistent, growing problem across the executive branch. And as this committee's investigation into Minnesota made clear, when no senior official is clearly responsible for financial risk management, fraud finds gaps. The Taxpayer Funds Oversight and Accountability Act closes them.
The bill strengthens the role of agency chief financial officers by explicitly assigning responsibility for internal controls over financial reporting, linking costs and performance data, and coordinating across agency leadership on financial management and risk. It also ensures continuity by authorizing the deputy CFO to serve as the acting CFO during a vacancy, so there's never a leadership gap at a critical moment. It replaces the existing five-year government-wide financial management plan with a stronger four-year plan aligned to the president's management agenda, complete with measurable metrics and strategies to eliminate duplicative systems. That gives Congress a real scorecard rather than a document that sits on a shelf. The bill also requires each agency to develop its own publicly available implementation plan within 120 days.
Agency heads will also be required to annually assess the effectiveness of their internal controls, ensuring accountability is ongoing and not a one-time exercise. Every dollar the federal government spends belongs to the American taxpayer. This bill ensures someone at the top of every agency is responsible for protecting it. I wanna thank Mister Minh for his partnership and the committee staff for their work. I urge my colleagues to support the taxpayer funds oversight and accountability act, and I look forward to seeing it move forward today.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Speaker 7
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I support HR 8340, the programs that the American people rely on every day. We require complete, reliable, and timely financial and performance data. Without this information, critical programs cannot function properly. Now these improvements would strengthen federal programs and improve accountability and oversight of Americans' hard-earned tax dollars.
I wanna thank, of course, Congressman Minh on the Democratic side for introducing this bill and for Congressman Timmons for their bipartisan work on this legislation. I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield back.
Speaker 13
Thank you, Chair Comer. Thank you, ranking member Garcia, for holding today's important hearing. I wanna thank Representative Timmons for agreeing to co-lead this very important bill to promote efficiency and optimization in our federal agencies. And, of course, we all want to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse in our federal government. This has to be a top priority for those of us who sit on the oversight committee.
And I think this is an important step in the right direction. And I do wanna note that this effort was originally led by former ranking member Connolly before he passed, and I am honestly honored, and quite proud to be able to carry the torch and continue this work, his work in improving our government's efficiency. This bill is designed to modernize how federal agencies track spending, strengthen financial oversight, and improve accountability in how our taxpayer dollars are managed across the federal government. It does so by updating the decades-old Chief Financial Officers or CFO Act of 1990, incorporating long-standing recommendations from GAO to ensure that agencies have reliable finances to make better management decisions, improve efficiency, and prevent waste. And, of course, one of the challenges we face in trying to oversee the federal government is finding the right balance between that localized control that is so important in optimizing efficiency, but also trying to maintain some semblance of accountability across our very diverse federal agencies.
And I think this bill does that, including by requiring federal agencies to annually assess financial reporting and internal controls, linking agency performance and cost data to enhance financial evaluations, and prioritizing the elimination of duplicative systems and unnecessary spending. Again, I wanna thank my colleague, Rep Timmons, for leading this with me and urge both sides to hopefully support this bipartisan bill that is meant to improve waste, fraud, and abuse. That'll yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yields back. Any other members seek recognition on the bill? Seeing none. Questions now on the amendment and the nature of the substitute. All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
Aye. All those opposed say no. In the opinion chair, the ayes have it. The amendment is agreed to. Question is now in favor of reporting HR 83 40 as amended.
All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed say no. In the opinion chair, the ayes have it in the bill. Mister Sessions, for what purpose do you seek recognition?
Mister chairman, I'd like to ask for a recorded vote. Recorded vote is ordered by Mr. Sessions from Texas. His previously announced further proceedings on the question will be postponed. Our next item for consideration is H.R. 1755, the Timely and Accurate Benefits Act. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
HR 1755, the timely and accurate benefits act. A bill to require an income verification platform for certain federal benefit funds, and for other purposes.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered as read and open for amendment at any point. Without objections awarded, the chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment in the nature of substitute? Clerk, please designate the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 1755 is offered by Mister Comer of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the minimum is okay. I'd consider it red. I now recognize myself for five minutes to speak on the bill. I support the timely and accurate benefits act. To fully confirm award eligibility.
States that administer federally funded programs must have complete and accurate information on award recipients, and not rely solely on alleged recipient vouching for their own eligibility. As the committee has heard through many subcommittee hearings, treasuries do not pay system as a critical tool that can prevent improper payments and fraud before the money goes out the door. Despite the fact that state and local governments administer more than a trillion dollars of federal funds annually, states do not have access to this essential tool. Since states are more familiar with programs they administer, it's important that they know what additional information may be needed and have the ability to access such information to ensure that proper eligibility checks are conducted. This bill ensures that states have access to the US Treasury's Do Not Pay system so they can run eligibility checks to prevent taxpayer dollars from going to fraudsters.
This bill also requires states to develop and submit a plan to enhance their eligibility determinations and payee verifications for covered federal programs. These plans would include an assessment of tools and data assets the state needs in order to check for eligibility and afford an opportunity to make requests to the federal government for additional system or data access necessary to ensure program integrity. I applaud the efforts of Representative Timmons from South Carolina for leading this bill in the House and bringing it before the committee. I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan common-sense bill, and I'll now recognize the ranking member for his statement.
Speaker 11
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I support HR 1755 as well. The bill would allow states and local governments to access the Treasury's DNP list. This is a common-sense change that would help states and localities identify and combat fraud. So I support the bill, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
I recognize now the sponsor of the bill, Mr. Timmons from South Carolina. Thank you.
Speaker 12
Mister Chairman, and thank you to my colleague from Florida, Mister Frost, for co-leading this piece of legislation. When federal benefit programs determine eligibility based on income, that income verification needs to be accurate. Right now, it often is not. States rely on outdated, fragmented data systems that miss significant sources of income, such as gig economy earnings, self-employment income, rental income, recurring cash contributions, and more. The result is that benefits go to people who don't qualify for them at the expense of the taxpayers funding those programs, and the people who actually need them.
In fiscal year 2025, improper payments in Medicaid alone totaled 37,400,000,000, an increase of 6,300,000,000 from the prior year due in part to errors and program eligibility determinations. These failures were not inevitable. They were the predictable result of states accepting recipient self-attestation for key eligibility criteria instead of verifying that information independently. This committee's investigation into Minnesota's social services program showed exactly what that looks like in practice, and the cost it imposes on taxpayers and legitimate beneficiaries alike. The timely and accurate benefits act addresses this directly.
It authorizes the Treasury to make the Do Not Pay system available to states administering federally funded programs for fraud prevention, eligibility determinations, and payee verifications. As this committee has heard through multiple subcommittee hearings, the Do Not Pay system is a critical tool that can prevent improper payments and fraud. This bill ensures states administering federally funded programs have access to it, and are required to use it. The bill also requires states to develop and submit plans documenting their capabilities for conducting eligibility checks, including verifying identity, living status, banking information, and financial eligibility. If a state identifies gaps in its data systems or capabilities, it must identify those gaps and commit to addressing them.
Importantly, the TABSS Act definition of income in this bill is comprehensive by design. Wages, tips, contract work, Social Security, rental income, royalties, and trust distributions are all included. So if money is available to a household to meet their needs, it should be considered when determining eligibility for federally funded benefits. Existing systems were never built to capture all of that, and this bill ensures they do. The American people expect federal dollars to go to the people who need them, and the timely and accurate benefits act helps make that happen.
I urge my colleagues to support it, and I look forward to seeing it advance. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Tillman yields back. Chair recognizes the coach parks. Bill is from Frost from Florida.
Speaker 14
Thank you so much, mister chairman. And I'm grateful to representative Timmons for his leadership on this important act, and I'm proud to co-lead this bill. Our bill would require the treasury to make their do not pay system available to the states. Do not pay has been helping agencies address fraud and improper payments for over a decade. In fiscal 2025, Treasury and Do Not Pay helped agencies prevent, detect, and recover $11,700,000,000 in potential fraud and improper payments.
Earlier this year, the subcommittee on government operations held a hearing about federal programs. The hearing was specifically focused on detecting and preventing improper payments. At that hearing, I was able to ask directly about the Treasury's Do Not Pay system. I was also able to ask about what other agencies might learn from their model, which has been proven effective. As I said at that hearing, and I'll say now, we must support innovation to tackle fraud as long as it's executed safely.
That includes recognizing and expanding the successful tools that we already have. Our bill would authorize the treasury to make their do not pay system available to state and local governments to identify, prevent, and improper payments. It provides incentives for states to adjust gaps in their ability to conduct verification and eligibility checks. Our bill would also require federal agencies to submit implementation reports to relevant committees, the OMB director, secretary of the treasury, comptroller general, and respective inspectors general, so that way there's robust oversight, and that can continue. I ask my colleagues to support this important bipartisan bill, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Kidman yields back. Do any other members seek recognition on this bill? Seeing none, questions now on the amendment and the nature of the substitute. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.
All those opposed, say no. The opinion chair of ayes having the amendment is agreed to. The question is now on favor of reporting HR 1755 as amended. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye.
All those opposed say no. In the opinion of the chair, Mr. Sessions. Mister chairman, I'd ask for a recorded vote. Recorded vote is ordered by Mr. Sessions from Texas. As previously announced, further proceedings on the question will be postponed.
Our next item for consideration is HR 8107, the government audit and accountability of federally funded state administered programs act. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
HR 8107, the government audit and accountability of federally funded state-administered programs act, a bill to require the establishment of a list identifying program areas and administrative practices presenting the greatest risk to the integrity of the federal funds administered by states and local governments.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered read and open from amendment to point. Without objection to the order, the chair recognizes himself to offer an amendment the nature of substitute. The clerk, please designate the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in the nature of a substitute, HR 8107. Oaths offered by Mr. Comer of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered as read, and the substitute will be considered the original text for the purposes of further amendment. I recognize myself for five minutes for a statement on the bill and the amendment. I support HR 8107, the government audit and accountability of federally funded state administered programs act. Assessment of the integrity of federal funds is generally agency and program specific. Bringing together those assessments will help Congress and officials at all levels of government identify common risks and best responses.
HR 8107 will make sure Congress and others fully informed about fraud risk in federally funded programs run by state and local governments. It requires the GAO to assess program areas and administrative practices that present the greatest risk to the integrity of federal funds administered by state and local government. Importantly, it ensures that this assessment is thorough and independent. With this information, Congress can enhance its oversight of agencies and states' efforts to strategically manage fraud risk, including payment integrity controls needed to effectively respond. As a result, we'll better be positioned to help federal agencies and state local governments get the counter fraud resources they need.
The requirement of this legislation aligned closely with the work that the ranking member and I have already requested of the GAO. I applaud the efforts of representatives O'Connor and Tim Burchett for bringing this bill to consideration before the committee. I encourage my colleagues to support this legislation, and I recognize the ranking member.
Speaker 7
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I support this bill, of course, which requires the Government Accountability Office to perform an assessment on how states are currently working to identify and prevent fraud and improper payments. It would also look at the assistance that the federal government provides to the states in combating fraud in these programs. It's essential that the committee develop an advance bipartisan effort to find comprehensive evidence-based approaches to addressing fraud. So we fully support this.
This review is gonna help us understand how federal dollars are dispersed by states to ensure that American taxpayers and their dollars are spent appropriately. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. I yield back.
Speaker 1
Any other members seek recognition? Seeing none, the question is now on the amendment, the nature of a substitute. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye. All those opposed, say no.
Independent chair, the ayes have it. The amendment's agreed to. Questions now in favor. We're reporting HR 8107 as amended. All those in favor, signify by saying aye.
Aye. All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. Mr. Sessions. Mister chairman, I'd ask.
Speaker 1
A recorded vote is ordered by Mr. Sessions from Texas as previously announced. Further proceedings on the question will be postponed. Our next item for consideration is HR 8193 to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 189 East Main Street in Xenia, Ohio as the Gilman Gil Whitney Post Office Building. The clerk will please designate the bill.
Speaker 2
HR 8193, a bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 189 East Main Street in Xenia, Ohio, as the Gilman Gil Whitney post office building.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the bill should be considered read open from any point. Without objection to order, the chair organizes himself to offer an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Clerk, please designate the amendment.
Speaker 2
An amendment in nature of a substitute to HR 8193 is offered, Mister Cover of Kentucky.
Speaker 1
Without objection, the amendment is considered read, and the substitute will be considered the original text for the purposes of further amendment. Do any members wish to speak on the bill? Seeing none, the question is now on the amendment in the nature of a substitute. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.
All those opposed, say no. And the opinion chair of the ayes having the amendments agreed to. Questions now in favor reporting HR 81 93 as amended. All those in favor, signify by saying aye. Aye.
All those opposed, say no. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it. The bills ordered favorably reported, as amended. Next bill. Ask for unanimous consent that HR 2488 be added to the en bloc package that will be considered later in today's markup.
Without objection, so ordered. Alright. I'll just skip that and do it. So that's it. So pursuant to the previous order, the chair declares the committee in recess, subject to the call of the chair.
We plan to reconvene at 3:00 PM. The committee stands in recess. The committee will reconvene. Before we begin with the votes, I wanna say this earlier. The room wasn't nearly as full, but we wanna welcome our newest member, representative McCormick from Georgia.
Welcome.
Speaker 1
House Oversight Committee. We all get along and work together in a bipartisan way, and we look forward to working with you today. Keep up that tradition. We'll hold this first vote open a little longer because I know there are some members rolling in here. But the question is on favorably reporting H.R. 8463.
Members will record their votes using the electronic voting system. The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting HR 8463.
Speaker 1
We can go ahead. If we get a partisan one, we'll hold off a little longer. Have all members who wish to be recorded been recorded?
Speaker 1
Any member wish to change their vote? The clerk will close the vote and report the vote total.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it, and the bill is ordered favorably reported. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid upon the table. The question is now on favorably reporting HR 8464. Members will record their vote by choosing the electronic voting system. The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting H.R. 8464.
I'm waiting for you, miss Sangeberry. Mister Raskin wouldn't wait for me, but I'm waiting on you. She's voted. Okay. Alright.
Have all members been recorded who wish to be recorded? Oh, we've got Pat Fallon. We'll hold it open for you. You played college football. You're not that tired.
Go. Right there. Right there. You note real quick, and we'll go to the next one. Did you get it, Pat?
Does any member wish to change their vote? The clerk will close the vote, report the vote total.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it, the bill is ordered favorably reported. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 8312.
Speaker 1
Members will record their votes using the electronic voting system. The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting H.R. 8312, the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act. Does any member have all members been recorded or wish to be recorded? Does any member wish to change their vote? The clerk will close the vote, report the vote total.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it. The bill is ordered favorably reported, without objection. The motion reconsiders late on the table. The question is now on favorably reporting HR 84 28. Members will record their votes using the electronic voting system.
The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting H.R. 8428, the Federal Fraud Prevention Workforce Training Act. Have all members who wish to be recorded been recorded?
Speaker 1
Does any member wish to change their vote? The clerk will close the vote and report the vote total. Mister.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it. The bill is ordered favorably reported. Without objection, the motion reconsiders laid on the table. The question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 8467. Members will record their votes using the electronic voting system.
The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting H.R. 8467, the zeroing out monetary benefits and properly expended act. Have all members who wish to be recorded been recorded? Does any member wish to change their vote? The clerk will close the vote, report the vote total.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it, the bill is ordered favorably reported. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. The question is now on favorably reporting HR 8466. Members will record your votes using an electronic voting system. The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting H.R. 8466, the Taxpayer Resources Used in Emergencies Accountability Act.
Have all members been recorded who wish to be recorded? Does any member wish to change their vote? The clerk will close the vote and report the vote total.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it. And the bill is ordered favorably reported. Without objection, the motion reconsiders the light on the table. The question is now on favorably reporting HR 83 40. Members will record their votes using the electronic voting system.
The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting HR 8340, the taxpayer funds oversight and accountability act. Have all members been recorded who wish to be recorded? Does any member wish to change their vote? Seeing none, the clerk will close the vote, report the vote total.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it. The bill is ordered favorably, reporting. Without objection, the motion reconsiders the late on the table. The question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 1755. Members will record their votes using the electronic voting system.
The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting H.R. 1755, the Timely and Accurate Benefits Act. Scott. Scott. Scott. Okay.
Have all members who wish to be recorded been recorded? Does any member wish to change their vote? Saying none, the clerk will close the vote and report the total.
Speaker 1
Ayes have it. The bill is ordered favorably reported, without objection. The motion reconsiders laid on the table. Questions down favorably reporting H.R. 8107. Members will record their vote by choosing the electronic voting system.
The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting HR 8107, the government audit and accountability of federally funded state act. K. We're still missing you. And mister Gil, have all members been recorded and wish to be recorded? Does any member wish to change their vote?
The clerk will close the vote and report the vote total.
Speaker 1
The ayes have it. The bill is ordered favorably reported. Without objection, the motion to reconsider is laid on the table. Question is now on favorably reporting H.R. 8193. Members will record your votes using the electronic voting system.
The clerk will now open the vote on favorably reporting H.R. 8193. No. No. We already voted for this.
Speaker 1
Okay. Sorry. Go ahead. Okay. Pursuant to notice, I now call up the following en bloc postal naming bills, which were distributed in advance of this markup.
HR 6099, 7809, 8225, and 2488. Without objection, the bill is considered read. If any member would like to speak on the measure, they may do so now. Chair recognizes Mr. Turner from Ohio.
Speaker 15
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to thank the committee for its support of HR 8193. My bill to name the Xenia, Ohio, Post Office in honor of WHIO weatherman Gil Whitney. On 04/03/1974, an F5 tornado formed and was projected to make landfall and cross through heavily populated areas in Xenia, Ohio. The tornado destroyed a significant portion of the buildings in the city.
Gil Whitney recognized the immediate danger to the community, controlled a broadcasting for WHIO TV channel seven, and warned the citizens of Xenia to take cover immediately. Although we tragically lost over 30 lives that day, Gil Whitney's warning undoubtedly saved countless more. He was a true hero. Many residents and families of Xenia credit Gil Whitney with saving them and their families. Renaming this post office, which was one of the buildings damaged in the tornado, is one of the many ways our community in Southwestern Ohio can honor Gil Whitney's service to Xenia and thank him for his actions.
I thank the chairman for including this measure in today's markup. Additionally, I'd like to thank all of my Ohio delegation colleagues, especially our fellow oversight committee members, Mr. Jordan and Ms. Brown, for cosponsoring this measure. This support is a meaningful testament to the impact Gil Whitney had on the May Valley. Thank you, and I yield back.
Speaker 1
Gentlemen, yield back. Any other members seek recognition on the unblock bill? Mister Perry.
Speaker 16
Thanks, Mr. Chairman. I appreciate everybody's effort and generally have no opposition to the bills except for one. The gentleman named, mister Gatlin was a speaker at a communist workers' world party rally. And while I appreciate everybody's right to free speech, I don't think that we should be naming public buildings after communist party officials and people that speak on behalf of the communist party and communist ideals. They are incongruent with the constitution of The United States and the beliefs of the American people.
And so, unfortunately, I'm gonna have to register my vote as no on the entire en bloc, because I do not support communism.
Speaker 1
I yield ballots. Gentlemen, yields back. Any other members seek recognition on the en bloc postal naming bills? The question is now on favorably reporting the en bloc package. All those in favor signify by saying aye.
All those opposed, say no. No. In the opinion of the chair, the ayes have it, and the en bloc measures are favorably reported. Motion to reconsider is laid on the table. So, you know, that's it.
You wanna say this. Following this last vote, we will be having a briefing in this room with the United States Secret Service about the shooting incident that took place over the weekend at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. This briefing is a closed door and only for committee members and committee staff. I will ask all others in the room to please exit the committee room right now. So pursuant to house rule 11, clause two, I ask that committee members have the right to file with the clerk of the committee supplemental additional minority and dissenting views without objection.
Additionally, the staff is authorized to make necessary technical and conforming changes to the committee print, subject to the approval of the minority without objection to order. If there's no further business before the committee, without objection, the committee stands adjourned. Is the briefing going to be right now? Right.
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