Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1156 - Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

(House)
(Rep. Smith, R-MO, and 25 cosponsors)

The Administration strongly supports passage of H.R. 1156, the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, criminals exploited loopholes in emergency programs and defrauded the federal government of an estimated $135 billion. Though federal law criminalizes fraud against federal programs, the ability of prosecutors to recover the billions stolen from taxpayers under these programs will start to expire this month without Congressional action. H.R. 1156 would amend the CARES Act of 2020 to extend the statute of limitations for federal criminal fraud charges related to three pandemic unemployment insurance benefit programs from five years to ten years to allow prosecutors to continue to recover funds and hold criminals accountable. Congress's affirmative vote on this bill would empower law enforcement to bring fraudsters to justice and advance President Trump's directive to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in government.

If this bill were presented to the President in its current form, his advisors would recommend that he sign it into law.