House GOP Chair James Comer Unveils Anti-Fraud Bills After Minnesota And California Welfare Probes
House Oversight Committee chair Rep. James Comer this week unveiled two federal bills to stop suspected fraud in welfare and Medicare payments, and said the committee will mark them up next Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Rep. James Comer introduced the measures.
Comer named the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act and the Pre-Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act, which would direct the Treasury to verify payments and give it authority to block suspect disbursement requests. The bills would also bar agencies from sending payments to recipients flagged as high risk or when a transfer appears improper.
The move follows investigations into alleged theft from Minnesota welfare programs and a wider federal crackdown on sham hospice providers in California. Oversight's interim review says fraudsters may have taken at least $9 billion from Minnesota programs, with roughly 92 people charged and more than 60 convictions, mostly of Somali descent, and witnesses in California testified that bogus hospices sometimes operated out of burrito stands and empty storefronts while surveys still passed providers. Minnesota findings and bill text and reports on the California hospice abuses appear in recent coverage. California witnesses and task force actions also describe a task force suspension of 447 hospices in Los Angeles over more than $600 million in suspected fraud.
The issue drew a heated bipartisan House hearing led by Ways and Means Chairman Jason Smith, who said fraudsters' "time operating in the dark is way over," as lawmakers pressed for reforms. The hearing and state responses — including an assertion that California does not control Medicare billing and a welcome for federal anti-fraud efforts — framed the immediate push toward Comer's proposed legislation.
Show source details & analysis (4 sources)
đź“Ś Key Facts
- A heated, bipartisan House Ways and Means Committee hearing on hospice fraud took place Tuesday on Capitol Hill, led by Chairman Jason Smith—who vowed fraudsters' 'time operating in the dark is way over'—and was framed as responding to the 'theft of tax dollars and Medicare benefits' (House Ways and Means Committee hearing).
- Witnesses included Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association, who described sham hospices operating 'out of a burrito stand' and empty storefronts that still passed surveys, and psychotherapist Dr. Lynn Ianni, who said she was falsely enrolled in hospice and locked out of her Medicare benefits for months (Sheila Clark).
- The Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, recently suspended 447 hospices in the Los Angeles area over more than $600 million in suspected fraud, and a separate federal crackdown charged more than a dozen people in a scheme using non‑dying individuals to steal over $50 million (Task Force to Eliminate Fraud).
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office posted on X that the state has no role in Medicare billing or payment and said it welcomes Trump‑administration anti‑fraud efforts (Gavin Newsom's office).
- House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer has introduced two federal bills—the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act and the Pre‑Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act—and the Oversight Committee plans to mark up both as soon as next Wednesday (James Comer).
- Comer's legislation would bar agencies from sending payments to recipients deemed at elevated risk of fraud or when a transfer is suspected to be improper, and would direct the Treasury Department to verify payments and recipient information before disbursement, giving Treasury authority to block suspect payment requests (Pre‑Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act).
- Oversight's interim finding in the Minnesota probe estimates fraudsters may have stolen at least $9 billion from Minnesota welfare programs, with at least 92 people charged and more than 60 convictions, many defendants described as Somali (Oversight's interim finding).
đź“Š Analysis & Commentary (2)
"The piece argues that the hospice‑and in‑home‑care fraud exposed by recent congressional probes is not new but the result of decades‑long structural failures in California’s oversight, and calls for much stronger audits and enforcement. ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/california-in-home-supportive-services-program-ihss-fraud))"
"A City Journal commentary arguing that recent welfare and benefit scandals show fraud is widespread and endorsing House GOP anti‑fraud bills (Comer's measures) that would let Treasury pre‑screen and block high‑risk federal payments. ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026)) ([City-Journal](https://www.city-journal.org/article/city-journal-daily-newsletter-apr-24-2026))"
đź“° Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- Rep. James Comer has introduced two federal bills, the Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act and the Pre-Payment Fraud Prevention and Treasury Data Access Act.
- House Oversight Committee plans to mark up both bills as soon as next Wednesday.
- The bills would bar agencies from sending payments to recipients deemed at elevated risk of fraud or when a transfer is suspected to be improper.
- The legislation would direct the Treasury Department to verify payments and recipient information before disbursement and give Treasury authority to block suspect payment requests.
- Fox article reiterates Oversight's interim finding that fraudsters may have stolen at least $9 billion from Minnesota welfare programs, with at least 92 people charged and more than 60 convictions, mostly of Somali descent.
- Identifies witness Sheila Clark, president and CEO of the California Hospice and Palliative Care Association, and quotes her describing sham hospices operating out of a burrito stand and empty storefronts that still passed surveys.
- Details testimony from psychotherapist Dr. Lynn Ianni, who was falsely enrolled in hospice and locked out of her Medicare benefits for months despite not being terminally ill.
- Reports that the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President JD Vance, recently suspended 447 hospices in the Los Angeles area over more than $600 million in suspected fraud.
- Notes a separate federal crackdown charging more than a dozen people in a scheme using non-dying individuals to steal over $50 million from taxpayers.
- Includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office response on X asserting the state has no role in Medicare billing or payment and welcoming Trump administration anti-fraud efforts.
- Confirms a heated, bipartisan House Ways and Means Committee hearing on hospice fraud took place Tuesday on Capitol Hill.
- Identifies Chairman Jason Smith, a Missouri Republican, as leading the hearing and publicly vowing that fraudsters' 'time operating in the dark is way over.'
- Frames the session explicitly as responding to 'theft of tax dollars and Medicare benefits,' sharpening the committee's focus on benefit theft in addition to general fraud.