WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) applauded the signing of the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, bipartisan legislation to save hard-earned taxpayer money by curbing erroneous payments to individuals who have passed away. The Warner-sponsored measure is now law.

“I’m thrilled to see this bipartisan, commonsense bill become law. As working families struggle to afford the cost of living, those of us elected to represent them should be doing everything in our power to save taxpayer dollars and protect government resources from fraud and abuse. I will continue working to improve efficiency and ensure that our government is working for all Americans,” said Sen. Warner.

The Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act permanently amends 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. The change will help agencies better identify and stop improper payments before they go out. The law also authorizes the Treasury to compare SSA death data with information held by other federal entities and share relevant matches with any paying or administering agency 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).

“Using dead Americans to rip off taxpayers is as low as it gets. Many Americans have seen these scams play out across the country and are tired of watching these fraudsters game the system—so am I. That’s why I wrote this common-sense bill to end this outrageous abuse permanently, and I’m grateful President Trump signed it into law so we can ensure taxpayer dollars go to living Americans who actually need our help,” said Sen. Kennedy.

“This vital bill will help save millions of taxpayer dollars by ensuring the Social Security Administration will be able to permanently share important data with the Treasury Department’s Do Not Pay system, preventing wrongful payments to deceased individuals. I’m proud to support this bipartisan legislation to help safeguard taxpayer dollars,” said Sen. Peters.

“Today is the final lap of getting this bill across the finish line so that the personal data and Social Security benefits of millions of Americans are protected. I am pleased to see the signing of our bipartisan bill into law, fixing our federal government’s payment systems to ensure that millions of taxpayer dollars are saved every year. As Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, I am committed to safeguarding the hard-earned benefits of Americans,” said Sen. Wyden.

“As stewards of our fellow taxpayers’ dollars, we owe it to them to be sure their hard-earned money is well spent and NOT WASTED. 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 been signed into law by President Trump! This is 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 been signed into law,” said Sen. Hassan.

“Fraudsters gave eternal life to thousands of Americans who died long ago. With President Trump signing the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act into law today, we’re finally stopping fraud dead in its tracks that RIPs off the taxpayers. I’m proud to support this commonsense bill to protect our hard-earned tax dollars, enact stronger safeguards, and restore accountability,” said Sen. Ernst.   

Full bill text is available here.

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