A group of 14 Republican senators have pooled 17 separate legislative proposals for eliminating fraud in federal spending in one huge package recalling President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025” that cut taxes, secured the border, and updated air traffic control.

“The fraud stops here, folks! After massive schemes in Minnesota and beyond were exposed, I’m putting an end to scammers treating the federal government like a personal piggy bank,” Ernst declared in a statement made available to The Washington Stand announcing the introduction of the Protecting American Taxpayers Act of 2026. “Many politicians and lenient, liberal judges look the other way while criminals steal more than $1 billion from taxpayers every day. I’m stepping up to the plate and bringing my colleagues together to end this theft. The Protecting American Taxpayers Act (PATA) not only stops fraud before it happens and holds those responsible accountable, but it returns stolen dollars to taxpayers. This overdue legislation will soon be brought to a vote to put every senator on the record on whether they stand with swindlers or taxpayers.”

Joining Ernst, who heads the Senate DOGE Caucus, as co-sponsors of PATA are Senators Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, Roger Marshall of Kansas, Kevin Cramer of North Dakota, Ashley Moody of Florida, Tim Sheehy of Montana, Jim Banks of Indiana, Chuck Grassley of Iowa, John Cornyn of Texas, Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, both of Ohio, Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania, and James Lankford of Oklahoma. More Republican lawmakers are expected to sign on as co-sponsors. Because one of PATA’s provisions was first proposed by Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), there may also be some Democratic co-sponsors.

The lineup of previously introduced measures aimed at specific aspects of dealing with and eliminating fraud in federal spending includes:

• ?S.3727 – Stop Fraud Before Payment Act, originally introduced by Ernst, and S.3642, the WALZ Act sponsored by Marshall. Together, these two measures require federal payments to be made as reimbursements only after a service has been provided.

• ?S.1047 – Assisting Small Businesses, Not Fraudsters Act proposed by Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) to prevent criminals convicted of defrauding the Small Business Administration (SBA) from receiving future assistance.

• ?S.3166 – Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act proposed by Ernst to claw back unspent COVID funding totaling more than $65 billion.

• ?S.2732 - Bonuses for Cost-Cutters Act from Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.), which would allow Inspectors General to pay bonuses to members of their staffs who uncover fraud and waste in government programs.

• S.747 – Improper Payments Transparency Act, first introduced by Senator Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.) to require clear data on improper payments in the president’s annual budget request to Congress.

• ?S.1567 – JOBS for Success Act that Senator Steve Daines (R-Mont.) introduced, which reforms the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program to upgrade agency reporting and measure improper payments.

• ?S.3610 – No Funding for Foreign Agents Act from Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) would prohibit federal tax dollars from going to any foreign country or its affiliates that are covered by U.S. travel bans or arms embargos.

• ?S.226 – No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act, first proposed by Senator Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) mandating disclosure of cash assistance in Afghanistan to prevent Taliban access.

• ?S.872 – Stop Secret Spending Act from Ernst to require full disclosure of tax dollars that are otherwise hidden from the public via “Other Transaction Agreements.”

• ?S.2117 – Preventing Deep Fake Scams Act introduced by Senator Jon Husted (R-Ohio) to create a federal task force to combat deep fake scams.

• ?S.1199 – SBA FRAUD Enforcement Extension Act from Ernst and S.121 – Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act sponsored by Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) to ensure recovery of fraudulently obtained COVID funds and extend the statute of limitations to ensure COVID criminals are caught and held accountable.

• ?S.1991 – Fraud Alert Systems Act from Ernst requires the Department of the Treasury to have a description of every payment and cross-check it.

• ?S.3746 – Stopping Transfers of Public Funds Abroad Act from Senator Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) requires certification of individuals seeking to conduct international wire transfers certify that they do not receive public assistance.

• ?S.2683 – VSAFE Act of 2025 sponsored by Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) provides consistent scam prevention guidance for veterans.

• ?S.874 – Expanding Whistleblower Protection for Contractors Act of 2025 first introduced by Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.) to close existing loopholes in whistleblower protection laws and thereby ensure that more honest federal workers with knowledge of fraudulent spending come forward and cooperate with law enforcement.

Enactment of the PATA that combines all of the above proposals into one legislative package is projected to save as much as $240 billion, according to the co-sponsors.

Introduction of the PATA comes as public anger about fraudulent government spending, particularly in social welfare programs intended to help the less fortunate, and frustration that Congress and President Donald Trump aren’t doing enough to stop it, continue to wax hot.

Much of the fraud in federal spending is thought to result from too little oversight of state and local governments that actually administer billions of dollars Congress appropriates each year. In a recent statement, the Trump administration pointed to fraud uncovered in Minnesota and California by independent journalist Nick Shirley.

“In Minnesota alone, Medicaid fraud could total billions. Nearly 9% of food stamp spending is in error, and scams like Feeding Our Future stole nearly $250 million intended for needy children,” the White House said in the March 16, 2026, statement regarding Trump’s establishment of a new task force to address the problem. The new entity is headed by Vice President J.D. Vance.

“Hundreds of millions in federal childcare funding were stolen by an organized ring involving Somali immigrants, spent to purchase cars, property, and luxury travel, and even allegedly funneled to one of Africa’s most heinous terror groups — all while State officials ignored or failed to detect the fraud. There is strong reason to believe similar vulnerabilities exist in California, Illinois, New York, Maine, and Colorado, where insufficient safeguards and weak oversight increase the risk of large-scale fraud,” the White House statement said.