Dead People Were Cashing Government Checks, Sen. Kennedy Just Killed the Gravy Train [WATCH]

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said a bill he authored to stop federal benefit payments to deceased individuals is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk, calling it a major step in addressing long-standing welfare fraud that has cost taxpayers billions of dollars.

Kennedy discussed the issue while outlining his years-long effort to prevent improper payments, particularly those made in the names of Americans who have died.

He said public reports of welfare fraud in Minnesota and other states have underscored the scope of the problem.

“I want to talk to you about the ending improper payments to deceased people act. Boy, that’s a mouthful,” Kennedy said.

“Here’s what I want to talk about. Many Louisianians read the stories about the welfare fraud in Minnesota, and frankly, in other states, and it makes them nauseous. I feel the same way.”

Kennedy said those cases motivated him to focus on fraud involving deceased beneficiaries, which he described as widespread and persistent.

“That’s why I have been working for years, literally years, to target welfare fraud, especially the fraudsters who conduct fraud in the name of deceased Americans,” he said.

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According to Kennedy, the scale of the problem became clear in 2023, when the federal government issued massive payments to people who were no longer alive.

“In 2023 alone,” Kennedy said, “the federal government sent $1.3 billion not million billion. The federal government sent $1.3 billion to dead people.”

Kennedy explained that the issue stemmed from a lack of coordination between federal agencies.

The Social Security Administration maintains a database of deceased Americans known as the Death Master File, which is updated when states report deaths.

However, Kennedy said that information was not being shared across the federal government.

“The Social Security Administration, which maintains a list of dead Americans known as the death Master master file,” Kennedy said.

“If someone dies, the state sends the name of the deceased person to the Social Security Administration, and that person’s name is listed on the what’s called the Death master file.”

He said investigations revealed that other agencies did not have access to that information.

“We found that Social Security was not sharing this information, the people, the names of the folks, on the death master file with the rest of the federal government,” Kennedy said.

“One branch of government wasn’t talking to another branch of government.”

Kennedy said he confronted the agency over the issue and was told congressional approval was required before the data could be shared with departments such as the Treasury.

“The Social Security Administration told me, when I confronted them about this and asked them, Why don’t you talk to your colleagues and other colleagues in the federal government?” Kennedy said.

“Social Security told me it needed Congress’ permission to share this information with, for example, the Treasury Department so it could include the list of dead Americans, and it’s do not pay system.”

Rather than debate the point, Kennedy said he moved forward with legislation.

“I didn’t argue with them. I said, I’m just going to go pass a bill,” he said.

Kennedy said that effort resulted in the Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, which allowed the Social Security Administration to temporarily share the Death Master File with the Treasury Department.

Although the arrangement was initially limited, he said the results were immediate.

“Well, it worked, duh,” Kennedy said.

“Since December of 2023 this bill has saved the federal government at least three, $30 million in improper payments.”

He said the temporary arrangement demonstrated the need for a permanent solution.

“We’re no longer paying dead people and having their friends or relatives or whomever cash the checks,” Kennedy said.

“It was obvious that Congress needed to make this data sharing arrangement permit.”

Kennedy said he introduced a second bill to make the data sharing permanent, a process he described as slow and frustrating.

“This week, I’m pleased to say the House passed my bill, the ending improper payments to deceased people. Act,” he said.

“This bill had already passed the Senate, and now that it’s passed the house, it’s on its way to President Trump’s desk so he can sign it into law.”

Kennedy said the issue goes beyond a single bill and vowed to continue pressing Congress to address welfare fraud more broadly.

“Now Dead people don’t need welfare. I think that’s obvious,” he said.

“But I’m not going to stop with just this bill.”

He said he plans to push for additional legislation using the budget reconciliation process.

“I’m going to continue to urge my colleagues in the Senate, my friends in the house, to pass another reconciliation bill, which we can do without Democratic votes, just like we did the one big, beautiful bill to include the subject of welfare fraud,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy concluded by calling welfare fraud an abuse of taxpayer trust.

“Welfare fraud, it’s inexcusable. It’s unconscionable,” he said.

“These are taxpayer dollars, and I’m not going to stop till we get it done.”

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