The Department of the Treasury has stopped nearly $99 million in federal payments from being sent to deceased individuals. The payments were halted through the use of a new verification system in alignment with President Trump’s 2025 executive order on preventing fraud.
According to Trump’s order, the Treasury was to “update guidance and enhance systems to ensure that all payments made by the Department of the Treasury on behalf of agencies pursuant to the Secretary of the Treasury’s disbursing authority, including 31 U.S.C. 3321, are subject to pre-certification verification processes established by the Secretary of the Treasury and conducted by agencies and the Department of the Treasury for the purposes of defending against financial fraud and improper payments, to the greatest extent permitted by law.”
“Treasury has delivered on a key promise of President Trump’s mandate to stop improper payments and fraud before money leaves the Treasury, and strengthen the integrity of the federal payment system,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Together with Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this new safeguard addresses a longstanding vulnerability and helps ensure every dollar the federal government spends reaches its intended recipient. Treasury will continue efforts to modernize the federal payment system, strengthen safeguards against fraud and improper payments, and protect taxpayer dollars.”
As of July 21, the Treasury has screened more than 885 million payments worth about $2.77 trillion.
Earlier this year, President Trump signed the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, which provided the Treasury with access to the Full Death Master File to maintain payment integrity.
