Washington (January 14, 2026) – Congressman Clay Higgins’ (R-LA) and Senator John Kennedy’s (R-LA) legislation, the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, passed the House and will head to President Trump’s desk to be signed into law.
The bill would ensure that deceased people are removed from government payment rolls by permanently requiring the Social Security Administration to share the “Death Master File” with the Treasury Department’s “Do Not Pay” system. In 2023 alone, the federal government sent $1.3 billion to deceased people. Read the bill text here.
“This legislation will immediately save American taxpayers billions of dollars. It’s a simple fix to address government waste,” said Congressman Higgins. “As a fiscal conservative, I’m eager to see this bill, which reduces wasteful spending without expanding the size of the government, signed into law. I appreciate Senator Kennedy for his diligent work to get this joint effort to President Trump’s desk.”
“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 Senator Kennedy.
