June 2, 2026
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National Taxpayers Union urges all members to vote “YES” on two program integrity bills slated for consideration: H.R. 7726, the Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026 introduced by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL), and H.R. 7892, the No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, sponsored by Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT). These two bills safeguard taxpayer dollars from being squandered on payment errors and fraud by implementing commonsense reforms to the federal bureaucracy.
Every year, the Department of Health and Human Services contributes over $8 billion in discretionary funding to states to support child care programs for low-income families. However, statutory authority to limit instances of improper payments or fraud remains surprisingly weak. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), in fiscal year 2019, the Child Care and Development Block Grant program had over $300 million in improper payments. H.R. 7726 makes sorely needed reforms that strengthen the integrity of this program. In addition to mandating tougher scrutiny of how states actually manage federal funds, this legislation requires the HHS Secretary to withhold funds from states that repeatedly misuse tax dollars. For example, states will now be barred from receiving federal funds associated with this program if their improper payments rates exceed 5% for two consecutive years.
Furthermore, the Department of Education disburses over $130 billion annually in federal student aid. In fiscal year 2025 alone, the Office of Federal Student Aid processed over 19 million forms under the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) program. H.R. 7892 would mandate the deployment of an identity fraud detection system to FAFSA. Additionally, this legislation would compel the Department of Education to notify the applicant if their file was flagged as suspicious and to verify their identity before disbursing any funds. Finally, the bill also requires an annual audit of the system as well as a report to Congress about progress toward identifying and limiting fraudulent activity.
Scandals involving fraudulent government payments and the widespread misuse of taxpayer dollars have made headlines around the country in recent months. The sensible fixes found in these two bills are exactly the kind of practical, good-government reforms needed to restore the public’s trust in government.
Roll call votes will be included in NTU’s annual rating of Congress and “YES” votes will be considered the pro-taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Policy and Government Affairs Manager Alexander Ciccone at aciccone@ntu.org