The U.S. Department of the Treasury has intercepted nearly $99 million in federal payments intended for deceased individuals using a new verification system deployed under President Donald Trump’s executive order targeting government fraud, waste and abuse.
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Following Executive Order 14249, “Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse,” the Department of the Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service implemented a verification process that reviewed more than 885 million payments worth approximately $2.77 trillion.
That screening successfully flagged more than 4,900 improper payments — totaling nearly $99 million — associated with deceased individuals, returning the payments to the originating federal agencies for review before any funds were disbursed.
“We think that there’s up to $350 million that we can stop before the end of this year,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on “Mornings with Maria” Tuesday. “The [Government Accountability Office] estimates that… this number might be up to $500 billion, which is about 1.66% of GDP. So that could go a long way towards paying down the debt, providing more services, and this is just the start.”
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