[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 94 (Wednesday, June 3, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H3805-H3810]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PREVENTING WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE IN TANF ACT
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution
1333, I call up the bill (H.R. 8872) to amend part A of title IV of the
Social Security Act to target funds to low-income families, strengthen
program integrity guardrails for State expenditure of funds, require
measurement of improper payments, and establish goals for eliminating
fraud and improper payments under the program of block grants to States
for temporary assistance for needy families, and for other purposes,
and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 1333, the
amendment in the nature of a substitute recommended by the Committee on
Ways and Means, printed in the bill, is adopted and the bill, as
amended, is considered read.
The text of the bill, as amended, is as follows:
H.R. 8872
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Preventing Waste, Fraud, and
Abuse in TANF Act''.
SEC. 2. STRENGTHENING PROGRAM INTEGRITY THROUGH IMPROPER
PAYMENTS REVIEW.
(a) In General.--Section 404 of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 604) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(l) Applicability of Payment Integrity Law.--The Payment
Integrity Information Act of 2019 shall apply to a State with
respect to the State program funded under this part in the
same manner in which such Act applies to a Federal agency.''.
(b) Report to Congress.--Within 1 year after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Health and Human
Services shall submit to the Congress a written report that
contains a plan to reduce or eliminate improper payments made
by States under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act
within 10 years.
SEC. 3. TARGETING FUNDS TO FAMILIES IN NEED.
Section 404 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 604) is
further amended by adding at the end the following:
``(m) Establishing a Threshold for Families in Need.--A
State to which a grant is made under section 403(a)(1) shall
use the grant only to provide assistance or services to a
family whose income is less than twice the poverty guidelines
updated periodically in the Federal Register under section
673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981 (42
U.S.C. 9902(2)).''.
SEC. 4. DEADLINES FOR THE OBLIGATION AND EXPENDITURE OF
FUNDS.
Section 404(e) of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C.
604(e)) is amended to read as follows:
[[Page H3806]]
``(e) Deadlines for Obligation and Expenditure of Funds by
States.--
``(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), a
State to which funds are paid, after the effective date of
this subsection, under section 403(a)(1) for a fiscal year
shall obligate the funds not later than the end of the
succeeding fiscal year, and shall expend the funds not later
than the end of the 2nd succeeding fiscal year.
``(2) Exception for limited amount of funds set aside for
future use.--
``(A) In general.--Notwithstanding paragraph (1) of this
subsection, a State to which funds are paid under section
403(a)(1), after the effective date of this subsection, for a
fiscal year may reserve not more than 15 percent of the funds
for future use in the State program funded under this part,
subject to subparagraph (B) of this paragraph.
``(B) Limitation.--The total amount held in reserve by a
State under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not
exceed an amount equal to 50 percent of the total amount paid
to the State under section 403(a)(1) for the then preceding
fiscal year.
``(C) Notice of intent to reserve funds.--A State that
intends to reserve funds under subparagraph (A) shall notify
the Secretary of the intention not later than the end of the
period in which the funds are available for obligation
without regard to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.''.
SEC. 5. PROHIBITION ON STATE DIVERSION OF FEDERAL FUNDS TO
REPLACE STATE SPENDING.
(a) In General.--Section 404 of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 604) is further amended by adding at the end the
following:
``(n) Limitation on Use of Federal Funds to Replace State
General Revenue Funds.--A State shall use Federal funds
received under this part only to supplement funds that, in
the absence of the Federal funds, would be made available
from State and local sources for programs assisted under this
part, and not to supplant the funds.''.
(b) State Certification.--Section 402(a) of such Act (42
U.S.C. 602(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(9) Certification of state supplementation.--A
certification by the chief executive officer of the State
that the funds provided to the State under this part will not
be used to supplant State or non-Federal funds for services
and activities that promote the purposes of this part.''.
SEC. 6. EFFECTIVE DATE.
The amendments made by this Act shall take effect on
October 1, 2027.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The bill, as amended, shall be debatable for
1 hour equally divided and controlled by the chair and ranking member
of the Committee on Ways and Means or their respective designees.
The gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith) and the gentleman from
Illinois (Mr. Davis) each will control 30 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. Smith).
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on this bill under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Missouri?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8872, the Preventing
Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act, introduced by my Ways and Means
Committee colleague Representative Mike Carey.
With an annual price tag of over $16 billion, the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families program is a sizable investment and plays
a critical support role for families who have fallen on hard times. A
core tenet of the program is promoting self-sufficiency through work, a
goal I know many of us see as a cornerstone of a successful welfare
system.
Unfortunately, right now, there are major weaknesses in the TANF
program that make it ripe for waste, fraud, and abuse. Despite the
billions of dollars flowing through TANF, it is one of the few Federal
programs we have that is not required to account for improper payments.
Additionally, investigations and reporting conducted by the
Government Accountability Office found that the 78 percent of TANF
spending that goes toward non-assistance activities lacks guardrails to
prevent abuse and misuse of these Federal resources.
With instances of fraud occurring at an alarming rate across multiple
government programs at the Federal, State, and local levels, Congress
must act. That is why the Ways and Means Committee has held hearings
and conducted critical oversight to determine what solutions will
protect taxpayers and the families who should be benefiting from
programs like TANF.
The Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act is a
straightforward piece of legislation that addresses four key areas of
concern, reflecting priorities of four members of the Ways and Means
Committee.
The lead sponsor of this bill, Representative Carey, has fought to
keep States from sitting on TANF funds while families struggle. Right
now, States are holding on to nearly $8 billion in funds because there
are no spending deadlines holding them accountable. This legislation
requires that States spend down their TANF funds within a 3-year
window.
Representative Arrington, the chairman of the House Budget Committee
who is a leader in the fight to rein in waste, fraud, and abuse in
government, has championed a provision within this bill that finally
requires the Federal Government to track and report instances of
improper payments. This reporting is crucial to ensuring that
policymakers and the American people know if tax dollars are being
spent as advertised.
With her understanding of how States often repurpose TANF funds to
cover unrelated gaps in State budgets, Representative Tenney has worked
to ensure States only use Federal TANF resources to supplement, not
replace, State and local spending.
Thanks to the leadership of Representative Adrian Smith, who has
worked to ensure TANF funding is actually going to those truly in need
of assistance, this bill includes a provision that establishes an
income threshold of 200 percent of the Federal poverty line, which is
$62,000 for a family of four, to ensure States are targeting TANF
spending to give more to those who are truly in need.
These policies defend against the abuse and misuse of taxpayer
dollars and improve the integrity of the TANF program to better support
those it was created to serve.
I am grateful for the leadership of the members of the Ways and Means
Committee who have made weeding out waste, fraud, and abuse in our
Federal welfare programs a priority.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve
the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 8872. Democrats
strongly oppose fraud, and that is why Representative Judy Chu and I
introduced H.R. 2108, the TANF State Expenditure Integrity Act, which
would give the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services specific
authority to monitor sub-grantee expenditures, to ensure that they are
consistent with TANF's purpose of helping poor children.
When they are not, as was the case in the egregious fraud perpetrated
by Brett Favre and Governor Phil Bryant in Mississippi, H.R. 2108 would
require the State to recover the funds and provide them directly to the
poor families they were intended for.
Republicans refused to work with us to enact that bill, which the
U.S. Government Accountability Office identified as a bill that
addressed their concerns about TANF program integrity.
{time} 1530
Instead, less than 48 hours before our markup, they introduced H.R.
8872. This GOP bill would not enable a single fraud investigation. It
would not recover a penny for the poor families TANF is supposed to
help. It would not have protected the children of Mississippi, when
multimillionaire Brett Favre used millions of dollars in TANF funds to
build a volleyball stadium and invest in health stocks, nor would it
reinstate the fraud-related penalty against Mississippi that the Trump
administration canceled.
What H.R. 8872 would do is give Health and Human Services new power
to decide what to call fraud and how to measure it. This GOP bill would
give the Trump administration new power to seize confidential
beneficiary data, levy penalties, and cut off State funding to help
poor children.
We know exactly what to expect if we give HHS more power, because
this January, the Department of Health and Human Services abruptly
froze $10 billion in critical social services funding for five States,
including my home
[[Page H3807]]
State of Illinois, to exact revenge on Governors who stood up to
President Trump.
The Trump administration intentionally chose to harm vulnerable
families, children, small businesses, and communities in five States:
namely, Illinois, California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York, to
settle a political score, and the Republicans in this House remained
silent, not a word.
Fortunately, current law limits an administration's authority to
weaponize support for low-income families. Consequently, the courts
issued a restraining order that is essential to protecting tens of
millions of children and families. If they had not, The Century
Foundation estimates it would have cost struggling families $400
million in lost earnings and help alone, not to mention the radiating
harm to businesses, communities, and economies.
Now, the Republican leadership advances this farce of a bill to erase
those protections, all while failing to address the biggest source of
TANF fraud.
If Republicans want to protect taxpayers, they should stop accusing
hardworking parents and look to the graft and vanity projects they keep
enabling.
Over the 17 months he has been back in office, President Trump
increased his net worth by over $4 billion by selling cryptocurrency,
insider trading, and leveraging his position. Most recently, the
President spent $5 million of taxpayer money to coat bronze statues in
gold leaf, enough money to buy a week's worth of groceries for 20,000
families.
If Republicans want to protect taxpayers, then, at the very least,
Congress should not give HHS any new power to harm families the next
time President Trump decides to lash out at a Governor who spoke up
about the harm his policies and corruptions have done to American
families.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Biggs of South Carolina). Members are
reminded to refrain from engaging in personalities toward the
President.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Illinois (Mr. LaHood), the chair of the Subcommittee on
Work and Welfare.
Mr. LaHOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Preventing Waste,
Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act.
TANF was created with a clear purpose, and I think it is important to
remember this: To help families move from welfare to work, promote
self-sufficiency, and support low-income parents and children. That
mission is undermined when taxpayer dollars are not properly protected.
When Federal welfare funds are vulnerable to waste, fraud, and abuse,
the consequences are real. States face weaker incentives to ensure
dollars are spent appropriately. Taxpayers lose confidence in the
program and, most importantly, families who truly need assistance lose
out because resources are not preserved for them.
As the chairman of the Subcommittee on Work and Welfare, I have
worked for years to identify and stop the TANF fraud in the program.
Chairman Jason Smith and I sent a letter to the Government
Accountability Office in 2023 requesting information on TANF's program
accountability measures.
In response, the GAO issued five reports in 2025 identifying that
TANF lacks numerous oversight and financial guardrails expected in
public assistance programs. More specifically, the GAO identified 37
States with 162 TANF audit findings. Many of these findings were deemed
severe, and the problems repeated over multiple years.
They also found that States are sitting on nearly $8 billion in
unspent TANF funds. That is $8 billion of taxpayer money, which has
doubled since 2015.
Finally, the GAO recommended that HHS be provided with authority to
require States to measure and report improper payments.
This bill that we are debating here today will address many of these
findings.
First, it finally would require improper payments reporting in TANF.
Second, it puts in place spending timelines so States aren't sitting
on large reserves of funds that aren't making their way to families.
This will ensure that States do not tap into those unused funds for
needy families when there are State budget shortfalls, which happens
way too often.
Lastly, the bill includes a new Federal eligibility guideline and
targeting to make sure funds are going to families under 200 percent of
the poverty line.
If Congress is going to provide billions of dollars each year for
TANF, we have a responsibility and obligation as elected leaders to
ensure that dollars are helping the families experiencing genuine
financial hardship.
The Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act will reduce fraud,
restore accountability, and help preserve TANF benefits for families
who truly need them.
We should all be able to agree that welfare funds should go to
families who need help and not to fraudsters, wasteful spending, or
people or programs that can provide for themselves without Federal
assistance.
In closing, I urge my colleagues to support-- The SPEAKER pro
tempore. The time of the gentleman has expired.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30
seconds to the gentleman from Illinois.
Mr. LaHOOD. In closing, I urge my colleagues to support and help
taxpayers by voting for the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF
Act.
{time} 1540
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I just want to remind my
colleagues that despite the rhetoric we will hear this afternoon on the
floor, there is nothing in this bill that actually addresses fraud in
the TANF program. Nowhere in H.R. 8872, outside of its title, does the
word ``fraud'' even appear in this bill.
Madam Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from California
(Ms. Chu).
Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 8872, the
Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act.
Let me remind us of one of the biggest TANF fraud scandals of all
time. Several years ago, former NFL quarterback Brett Favre conspired
with Mississippi State officials to steal millions of taxpayer dollars
meant for the State's poorest families. He stole this money to build a
new volleyball court for his daughter's college.
Why did this happen? It was because under current law, the Federal
Government has no authority to conduct oversight into how States spend
their TANF block grant funds, which makes up roughly 80 percent of TANF
spending.
That is where the biggest oversight gap exists, and this bill before
us does nothing about it. Instead, it would require States to only
report calculations about over- and underpayments but doesn't
investigate fraud itself. By doing this, though, it empowers the
administration to use these calculations to justify withholding TANF
funds from certain States.
This selective process would only apply to less than 15 percent of
total TANF funding. This completely ignores the 80 percent of TANF
spending where the fraud is actually occurring. When Republicans
brought this bill before the Ways and Means Committee, I offered an
amendment to insert into the bill the bill that I had introduced with
Congressman Danny Davis, the TANF State Expenditure Integrity Act.
Our bill would finally allow Federal oversight of TANF block grant
funding and require States that intentionally misuse TANF funds to
direct an equivalent amount toward legitimate assistance for families.
Simply put, our bill would actually go after the type of fraud that
Republicans claim that they care about.
If my Republican colleagues were truly interested in preventing
waste, fraud, and abuse, they would have welcomed my amendment.
Instead, they blocked it, but this is no surprise. Their record on
fraud speaks for itself.
Donald Trump publicly defended Brett Favre and actually canceled the
modest penalty President Biden was able to impose on Mississippi. He is
letting everyone off the hook for this blatant fraud, and Republicans
in Congress haven't said a word about it.
Not only that. Last Congress, Republicans held a hearing on TANF
fraud where they actually apologized to Brett Favre. It was
embarrassing, and it was shameful.
[[Page H3808]]
For this reason, at the appropriate time, I will offer a motion to
recommit this bill back to committee. If House rules would have
permitted, I would have offered the motion with an important amendment
to this bill.
My amendment would remove H.R. 8872's provisions empowering President
Trump's continued attacks on struggling families and replace them with
provisions that actually fight fraud, and that includes my TANF State
Expenditure Integrity Act.
My motion to recommit would also address one of the most brazen acts
of public corruption in American history: Trump's $1.8 billion slush
fund and his sham settlement.
Madam Speaker, I want to emphasize what happened here. The President
of the United States sued his own government and got a settlement
allowing him to direct $1.8 billion of taxpayer dollars to political
allies and January 6 rioters, the violent criminals who assaulted
police officers and attacked our democracy.
After receiving overwhelming bipartisan backlash, the Trump
administration is now claiming that it won't move forward with the
fund. However, a statement is not law. If the administration truly
intends to abandon this corrupt scheme, it should have no objection to
Congress permanently prohibiting it.
Even that is only part of the story, because no such settlement and
statement has been made regarding plans to withdraw the most egregious,
self-serving part of this settlement: the provision granting President
Trump, his family, and his businesses total immunity from all
government audits and investigations before the DOJ, IRS, or any other
government agency or department.
While the administration has retreated from its plan to reward
Trump's allies with taxpayer dollars, it is charging ahead with giving
Trump, his kids, and his companies lifetime immunity from IRS audits
and tax prosecution.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield an additional 30
seconds to the gentlewoman from California.
Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, my motion to recommit would invalidate in
Federal law the entire settlement agreement, including the slush fund
and the immunity provision, and it would forever prohibit any similar
corrupt fund in the future.
I ask unanimous consent to insert the text of my amendment in the
Record immediately prior to the vote on the motion to recommit.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from California?
There was no objection.
Ms. CHU. Madam Speaker, I hope my colleagues will join me in voting
for the motion to recommit.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, before I yield to the gentleman
from Ohio, I just have to say that it is reckless to say on this floor
that someone has stolen anything when they have never been criminally
charged for anything. That is very, very bad for any Member of Congress
to say that to a regular, everyday American who has never been charged
with anything. Democrats should be ashamed.
Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr.
Carey).
Mr. CAREY. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and for
the opportunity to talk about some commonsense reforms to the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families program.
For context, TANF is a bipartisan program that was created over 30
years ago to help struggling families get back on their feet. The
program supports families with their immediate needs while promoting a
path toward work and self-sufficiency. Taxpayers deserve to have
confidence that their tax dollars are being used effectively and as
intended.
This is what the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act
actually does. It improves clarity about the integrity of funds,
targets assistance to the most vulnerable, and confirms that funds are
actually spent. That is what it does.
Without additional safeguards, TANF will remain vulnerable to bad
actors. This not only harms the taxpayers but even more so the families
who actually need the help.
Congressional Republicans are committed to preventing waste, fraud,
and abuse. Ohioans' own Vice President JD Vance and the Task Force to
Eliminate Fraud have the exact same goal. The changes proposed in H.R.
8872 will support both of these efforts.
Ultimately, the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act is
about strengthening accountability. H.R. 8872 does not do this by
imposing any cuts whatsoever. It doesn't impose any cuts whatsoever.
What this bill really does is ensure that more assistance is actually
provided. It preserves the program's flexibility for States to utilize
funds in ways that meet the needs of their communities while making
sure that the resources are not wasted, misused, or diverted.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill and its
noncontroversial proposals to strengthen TANF for the future of our
next generations.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentlewoman from Wisconsin (Ms. Moore).
{time} 1550
Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentleman from
Illinois for yielding. I want to say to my colleagues, my Republican
friends, that I agree with them that the way this program, TANF, was
designed, it was a fraudster's dream.
It was designed with so-called flexibility, and the reason I know
that is because I was in the Wisconsin State Senate when ``ending
welfare as we know it'' was constructed by Tommy G. Thompson, then-
Governor of the State of Wisconsin, and it was adopted the following
year by Newt Gingrich and President Clinton.
It was designed that way. It was not just since poor Brett Favre, the
Wisconsin quarterback, built the volleyball court with TANF dollars,
poor thing getting blamed for it.
Before then, States were balancing their budgets with TANF money;
cities were building infrastructure projects with TANF dollars; and
CEOs who ran the welfare programs in our States were getting bonuses
for denying welfare recipients benefits. This didn't just start.
I agree that we should rein in waste, fraud, and abuse with the
provisions provided by Dr. Danny Davis and Dr. Judy Chu's bill. This
bill doesn't do that at all.
All it does is provide HHS with the power to stop providing support
for women and children who need daycare, to be able to do what they did
earlier this year, and to freeze $10 billion to blue States. This is
all that this does. This does not get at the heart of the problem.
Madam Speaker, I ask our colleagues to vote against this bill, to
come together with Dr. Davis and Ms. Chu and the rest of us who want to
end the true source of waste, fraud, and abuse, and not abuse our
children with this provision.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the
gentleman from Florida (Mr. Bean).
Mr. BEAN of Florida. Madam Speaker, I thank our chairman for
yielding.
Taking care of our most vulnerable citizens is what a civilized
society does, and it is why Congress created TANF, Temporary Assistance
for Needy Families. TANF is just that, temporary assistance for the
most needy among us.
Like other safety net programs, Madam Speaker, we partner with the
States. It is the most efficient way to deliver care.
My question for this body is, should we ever have to worry about the
States using TANF dollars for any program other than TANF?
You wouldn't think we would have to worry about that at all, but,
Madam Speaker, the report from the GAO, our Government Accountability
Office, is in. It seems we do have to worry about States using TANF
dollars for other than TANF recipients.
The report is in. They have used it for education programs and
college scholarships. They have built roads and enhanced their State
transportation systems. The crown gem offender, Madam Speaker, is a
State, which will remain nameless today, that has built a sports
stadium with TANF dollars. It is not what TANF was intended to do,
[[Page H3809]]
nor is it the creative, cooperative partnership that was intended by
working with the States. It is time Congress says: Enough.
That is why I have sponsored a bill with Claudia Tenney from the
great State of New York to create TANF dollars as a general revenue
targeted specifically to the neediest among us and not as a revenue
slush fund for these States. I am proud to be an original cosponsor of
this bill, H.R. 8872, the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF
Act, which includes many reforms, but this one right here, States, we
have to trust them with the money given.
Madam Speaker, I remind everybody in this room that every TANF family
is different, but the typical TANF family is a single mom. She has 2.1
kids. She is working 1.2 jobs. She drives a car that is 16 years old.
The back window is taped up. Maybe there is a spare tire that she can't
change because diapers elevate higher than car repairs. She is the one
we need to make these reforms for.
I urge my colleagues to join me, to join everybody, in voting ``yes''
for TANF reform so that we can help the neediest among us.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the
gentleman from California (Mr. Correa).
Mr. CORREA. Madam Speaker, I agree with my colleagues from the other
side: Let's go after fraud, waste, and abuse. But this bill allows the
administration to hold back funding for children and families under the
guise of fraud. Earlier this year, the administration froze $10 billion
in funding for families and children in blue States.
Let's talk about guardrails. A year ago, we gave ICE and CBP seven
and three times their annual budgets, respectively. Where are those
funds going? ICE just paid $130 million for a warehouse in Georgia that
was bought for $30 million the year before. ICE just bought another
property in Texas for $123 million that was valued at $11 million.
Also, let's not forget Secretary Noem's $170 million luxury jet.
Instead of going after children and families, let's go after these
wasteful, fraudulent contracts. I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on
this measure.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Tenney).
Ms. TENNEY. Madam Speaker, I rise to support passage of H.R. 8872,
the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, as it is known, was created
to help families in poverty meet urgent needs while supporting work and
long-term self-sufficiency.
Unfortunately, Federal TANF funds have become too easy for State
governments to use as slush funds for unrelated programs, as you heard
my great colleague, Mr. Bean, describe. Some States--he left them
unnamed--are using it to build sports stadiums instead of focusing this
money on families who are truly in need of assistance.
This is why I am leading this bill with my colleague from Florida,
Mr. Aaron Bean, the Protect TANF Resources for Families Act, which is
included in this bill package.
This bill says something very simple: Federal TANF funds can only be
used to support families in poverty, and they cannot be used to fill
State budget gaps.
This bill does not take away State flexibility. States will continue
to have flexibility to operate their TANF programs in ways that work
for individual communities, but flexibility requires responsibility.
Federal dollars provided for needy families should remain focused on
needy families. Struggling families should be able to trust that TANF
resources are being preserved for them. Taxpayers have the right to
ensure that their money isn't being diverted through unfair State
budget maneuvers.
This bill is an important step toward restoring accountability,
protecting limited resources, and making sure TANF serves the families
who truly need our help.
Madam Speaker, I thank Chairman Jason Smith, subcommittee Chairman
Darin LaHood, and my colleague who cosponsors this bill, Aaron Bean
from Florida, for marking up this important bill. I also thank our
Speaker, Leader Scalise, and Whip Tom Emmer for bringing this bill to
the floor.
I urge my colleagues to support this bill to help us end waste,
fraud, and abuse, and to provide accountability to our taxpayers.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the
gentleman from Wisconsin (Mr. Grothman).
Mr. GROTHMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8872,
the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act.
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program provides $16
billion of taxpayer money each year to help low-income families get
back on their feet. That is an important mission, but when taxpayer
dollars are lost to fraud, improper payments, or poor oversight, that
money is not helping a family in need.
For too long, TANF has lacked basic accountability measures that
apply to many other Federal programs. In fact, TANF is one of the few
Federal programs not required to report an annual improper payment
rate. Madam Speaker, you can imagine that is an encouragement of fraud.
It should concern every Member of this body.
{time} 1600
This bill brings needed accountability to TANF by requiring improper
payments be measured and reported. You can see how many improper
payments we found in other programs.
With the national debt now exceeding $39 trillion, Congress has a
responsibility to make sure every Federal dollar is spent effectively.
Reducing waste and fraud is not about weakening assistance to
families in need. It is about protecting those programs so they reach
the parents and children who truly depend upon them.
If my colleagues on the other side of the aisle really want to help
struggling families, they should join us in making sure that TANF
dollars are not lost to waste and fraud but instead go to the people
the program was created to serve.
It is not surprising when you have a program funded by the Federal
Government and administered by the State government there is fraud.
I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I encourage my
Democratic colleagues especially to support this legislation.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio
(Mr. Miller).
Mr. MILLER of Ohio. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R.
8872, the Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act led by my
colleague from Ohio (Mr. Carey).
The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, TANF, exists for
one purpose, which is to help low-income families through difficult
times and to support their path toward work, stability, and self-
sufficiency. But for too long, TANF dollars have not been managed with
the level of accountability that taxpayers and families deserve
throughout our country.
The numbers are stark. From 2015 to 2024, unspent TANF balances more
than doubled, from roughly $4 billion to $9.7 billion. States held
approximately $8 billion in TANF funds rather than spending them on
needy families.
In my home State of Ohio alone, more than $600 million was sitting
unused. When billions of dollars sit idle year after year, those funds
are not helping families find work, support children, or get through a
crisis.
This is exactly why Congressman Carey and I introduced the Improve
Transparency and Stability for Families and Children Act earlier this
Congress. I am pleased those reforms are now incorporated into H.R.
8872.
This legislation fixes the problem directly. It ensures funds
actually reach low-income families, sets clear spending deadlines so
money doesn't sit idle, holds States accountable, strengthens program
integrity by requiring measurement of improper payments, and prevents
Federal TANF dollars from being used to replace State spending. I
believe everyone can get on board with that.
If we are serious about helping families in need and if we believe in
TANF's mission of moving families from welfare to work and towards
independence,
[[Page H3810]]
then we must ensure that the money actually reaches them and it is not
lost to waste, fraud, or even bureaucratic mismanagement. I urge my
colleagues to support this bill.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance
of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers at
this time, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers. I am
prepared to close, and I yield myself the balance of my time.
President Trump's economy has zero job creation. Skyrocketing gas
prices and costly childcare make it more difficult and more expensive
to work, crushing workers and families. Wage growth is slowing.
Alarmingly, this bill we consider today in the people's House
intentionally fails to address any of those problems, nor does this
bill take action to punish wealthy and well-connected people, people
who stole tens of millions of dollars Congress provided to help some of
the poorest children in Mississippi and throughout the country.
Instead, this bill would give the Trump administration's Health and
Human Services new power to cut off assistance to struggling families
and poor children based on the new ``error rate,'' calculations that
they define to advance their cruel designs under Project 2025.
When we help Americans who are struggling pay for food, utilities, or
healthcare, Republicans are quick to label it welfare and accuse
recipients of fraud.
But when the Department of Justice reaches into taxpayers' pockets
and steals $1.8 billion for a slush fund to pay the President and his
allies, including convicted criminals who beat police officers guarding
the Capitol on January 6, they remain and have remained silent.
When taxpayers' pockets pay for the President's self-anointed
immunity for tax fraud not only for himself but also for his businesses
and his family, it is truly reprehensible that my colleagues would
remain silent.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill and to speak out
against the real fraud and corruption poisoning our country. Let's make
sure that we continue to help those poor, needy families and poor,
needy children who need the benefits coming from a just society.
Mr. Speaker, I will vote ``no'' on this bill, and I yield back the
balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Missouri. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my
time.
Mr. Speaker, waste, fraud, and abuse have no place in our government
and certainly no place in programs meant to provide critical assistance
to our Nation's most vulnerable.
The Preventing Waste, Fraud, and Abuse in TANF Act is a targeted and
timely piece of legislation that protects the American taxpayers' hard-
earned money and ensures that resources get to families who are truly
in need of our help.
I appreciate my Ways and Means Committee colleagues for the time,
attention, and work that they have contributed to this reform effort,
and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Weber of Texas). All time for debate has
expired. Pursuant to House Resolution 1333, the previous question is
ordered on the bill, as amended.
The question is on the engrossment and third reading of the bill.
The bill was ordered to be engrossed and read a third time, and was
read the third time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 1(c) of rule XIX, further
consideration of H.R. 8872 is postponed.
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