WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) applauds the House of Representatives passage of the bipartisan Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, legislation he sponsored to save hard-earned taxpayer money by curbing erroneous payments to individuals who have passed away. The bill unanimously passed the Senate in September 2025 and now moves to President Donald Trump’s desk for signature. 

“As Americans struggle to afford the cost of living, Congress should be doing everything in its power to save taxpayer dollars and protect government resources from fraud and abuse. I’m thrilled to see this legislation pass through the House of Representatives – the last step needed in order to send this to the President’s desk for his signature. I will continue working in a bipartisan manner to improve efficiency and ensure that our government is working for the American people,” said Sen. Warner.

The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act would permanently amend the Social Security Act to allow the Social Security Administration to share the Death Master File – a record of deceased individuals – with the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system. This change would limit the government’s ability to make improper payments to deceased people in the future. This bill would also allow the Treasury’s Do Not Pay working system to compare death information from the Social Security Administration with personal information from other federal entities and to share this information with any paying or administering agency that is authorized to use the Do Not Pay system. 

In addition to Sen. Warner, this bill was led by Sens. John Kennedy (R-LA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ashley Moody (R-FL), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Joni Ernst (R-IA).

“The fact that the federal government is sending checks to dead people – often to be cashed by fraudsters – makes me want to reach for the barf bucket. That’s why I wrote this bill to permanently stop this outrageous fraud from happening, and I’m thrilled to see Congress officially on board with this commonsense fix,” said Sen. Kennedy.

“This bill will help save millions of taxpayer dollars by ensuring that the Social Security Administration can permanently share important data with the Treasury’s Do Not Pay system, preventing wrongful payments to deceased individuals. I have long supported this legislation because I believe it is a vital step in safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring the integrity of our payment systems,” said Sen. Peters.

“This bipartisan bill fixes our federal government’s payment systems so that millions of taxpayer dollars are saved every year. As Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, I am committed to ensuring that Americans’ hard earned benefits are protected. That’s why I’m supporting this bill to ensure Americans’ personal data and earned benefits from Social Security are protected,” said Sen. Wyden.

“As stewards of our fellow taxpayers, we owe it to them to be sure their hard-earned dollars are well spent and NOT WASTED. Great to see the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, which permanently codifies coordination between the Department of Treasury and Social Security Administration to eliminate payments to dead people, has now passed both the House and the Senate and is headed to the President’s desk. A step in the right direction for ending waste, fraud and abuse running rampant in Washington,” said Sen. Moody.

“Our government has a responsibility to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse. I am glad that this bipartisan bill to update existing safeguards and better prevent unintentional payments to deceased people has passed the House, and I encourage President Trump to sign it into law immediately,” said Sen. Hassan.

Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA) led the companion bill in the House of Representatives.

Full bill text is available here.