Treasury Screens $3.7 Trillion In Payments As Fraud Controls Expand
By CU Today Staff —
WASHINGTON— The U.S. Treasury Department said it significantly expanded government-wide fraud-prevention efforts during fiscal 2026, screening more than 1.1 billion federal payments totaling approximately $3.7 trillion and broadening federal programs’ access to its Do Not Pay system.
The changes were made as Treasury implemented requirements of President Trump’s March 2025 executive order, Protecting America's Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse.
“Treasury continues to transform how the federal government protects taxpayer dollars by using better data, stronger controls, and advanced technology to stop fraud and improper payments before money goes out the door,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. “In the past year alone, Treasury built and deployed new safeguards that verified more than $3.7 trillion in federal payments and increased Do Not Pay access from 4% of programs to 99%, ensuring agencies have access to the data they need. We are moving beyond ‘pay and chase’ and making prevention the federal government’s first line of defense.”
Treasury said approximately 99% of federal programs can now access all Do Not Pay data sources for which they are legally authorized, up from about 4% at the end of fiscal 2025. The department also screened more than 2.3 billion records against Do Not Pay data sources, nearly four times the 641 million screened a year earlier, and added nine datasets, including company registration information, select Social Security Numident verification and Federal Audit Clearinghouse findings.
Treasury said its new payment verification process identified and returned approximately 13,500 payments totaling $175 million that otherwise would have gone to deceased individuals. It also piloted verification of bank-account ownership and Taxpayer Identification Numbers, with those capabilities becoming fully operational Sept. 30 to allow payments that fail verification requirements to be returned before funds are disbursed.
Originally reported by CU Today.