Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 21
Treasury Blocks $99 Million in Payments to Dead Recipients After Screening 885 Million Transfers
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Treasury Blocks $99 Million in Payments to Dead Recipients After Screening 885 Million Transfers

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 21

Summary

  • $99 million in federal payments marked for deceased people has already been stopped under a new Treasury verification system, with more than 4,900 transactions sent back to agencies for review.
  • The safeguard screens 885 million payments against expanded death records, auditing nearly $2.7 trillion before money leaves federal accounts.
  • Treasury said the effort relies on permanent access to Social Security's Full Death Master File, which Congress extended in February 2026 after a temporary pilot program.
  • The move advances Trump's March 2025 anti-fraud executive order, and Treasury plans to expand the checks government-wide as part of a broader push to curb improper payments.

Insights

As fraud prevention relies more on data, what new protections are in place for citizen privacy?
With millions saved, what is the next major fraud category this advanced data-matching technology will tackle?
How does the new system prevent living citizens from being wrongly flagged and losing their essential benefits?