Bipartisan Ending Improper Payments To Deceased People Act
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Ending Improper Payments To Deceased People Act (Source: AI generated, by ChatGPT, Attribution: prompted by MathladySusan, Presented at: WindermereSun.com)
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U.S. Treasury Department payment verification system is implemented under the Trump administration to screen federal payments before they are issued.
According to the Treasury:
- The system was created following Executive Order 14249, “Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse,” issued in March 2025.
- It uses the Treasury’s Do Not Pay program together with expanded access to the Social Security Administration’s Full Death Master File to identify payments intended for deceased individuals before the money is disbursed.
- As of July 2026, the Treasury says it had:
- Screened more than 885 million federal payments worth about $2.77 trillion.
- Flagged more than 4,900 payments totaling approximately $99 million that were associated with deceased payees.
- Returned those payments to the originating agencies for review before any funds were sent.
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The bill’s official name is S. 269 – Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act. Senator Kennedy introduced it in the Senate on January 28, 2025, and it became law in February 2026.
So:
- Official name: Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act
- Bill number: S. 269
- Informal name: “Kennedy bill” (because Senator Kennedy was the lead sponsor)
- Purpose: Makes permanent the sharing of Social Security death data with the Treasury’s Do Not Pay system to help prevent federal payments from being sent to deceased individuals, while also adding protections to reduce erroneous reports that living people have died.
The “Kennedy bill” nickname is commonly used in news stories, social media, and by Senator Kennedy’s own office, but it is not an official legislative title.
The projection that the system could prevent roughly $330–350 million in improper payments over several years comes from Treasury and Government Accountability Office estimates based on expanded access to the full Death Master File. Treasury has cited an estimated about $330 million in net benefits over the pilot period, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the effort as potentially stopping around $350 million in improper payments.
It’s worth noting that:
- The reported $99 million represents payments that were intercepted before being disbursed, not money recovered after it had already been paid out.
- The screening process is designed to identify potentially improper payments; the originating agencies review flagged cases to determine whether the payment should proceed, be corrected, or be canceled.
Details in the video below, in italics, below:
The U.S. Treasury Department has announced that its new payment verification system has flagged nearly $99 million in federal payments linked to deceased individuals before the money was distributed. Officials say the system reviewed more than 885 million federal payments worth $2.77 trillion, identifying approximately 4,900 suspicious payments for further review. The initiative follows President Donald Trump’s 2025 executive order aimed at reducing fraud and improper government payments. The Treasury Department says the flagged payments have been returned to federal agencies for verification before any funds are released, in the video published on July 22, 2026, by The Dark Hour Finance, as “Treasury STOPS $99 Million in Payments to Dead People|Trump Administration Fraud Crackdown“, below:
Details in the video below, in italics, below:
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joins ‘Mornings with Maria’ to discuss the Trump administration’s payment verification system that blocked ‘about $100 million’ in payments to deceased people and could stop $350 million this year, in the video published on July 21, 2026, by Fox Business, as “JUST IN: Treasury blocks $100 MILLION in payments to deceased individuals” below:
Gathered, written, and posted by Windermere Sun-Susan Sun Nunamaker More about the community at www.WindermereSun.com
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