U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent
The Treasury Department announced Tuesday that its new verification process found $99 million in payments for deceased recipients.
The department said that it screened over 885 million payments totaling approximately $2.77 trillion, and discovered more than 4,900 payments worth approximately $99 million that were intended for deceased payees. Those 4,900 payments were returned to the federal agencies they came from for review before any funds were disbursed.
“Treasury has delivered on a key promise of President Trump’s mandate to stop improper payments and fraud before money leaves the Treasury, and strengthen the integrity of the federal payment system,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.
“Together with Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this new safeguard addresses a longstanding vulnerability and helps ensure every dollar the federal government spends reaches its intended recipient. Treasury will continue efforts to modernize the federal payment system, strengthen safeguards against fraud and improper payments, and protect taxpayer dollars.”
Treasury said that it expanded its ability to detect and prevent fraud through its Do Not Pay program and new payment verification tools.
In February, the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act was signed into law, giving Treasury permanent access to the Social Security Administration’s Full Death Master File and allowing payment verification to continue permanently.
Treasury initially had access to the Full Death Master File for a three-year pilot program, following the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021. In the first year of the program, the department projected an estimated $330 million in net benefits between 2024 and 2026 through reduced improper payments.
Written by Natalia Mittelstadt for KOMO News ~ July 21, 2026
