Fighting Fraud, Waste and Abuse
Fighting Fraud to Protect Earned and Safety-Net Benefits
Every dollar stolen through fraud is an insult to hardworking taxpayers—and a dollar that can’t be used to keep our promise to Social Security recipients, care for our Veterans, or protect critical safety-net programs for Americans who truly need them.
That’s why I’m fighting to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse from federal programs and demanding accountability from states that administer them. When Washington sends taxpayer dollars to Albany, federal officials have a responsibility to make sure those dollars reach the people they were intended to help.
Protecting taxpayers and protecting legitimate beneficiaries go hand-in-hand.
Fraud and Failed Oversight in New York
New York administers enormous Medicaid, SNAP, and unemployment programs with substantial federal taxpayer funding. Yet fraud, improper payments, and weak oversight continue to put both taxpayer dollars and critical benefits at risk.
New York’s Medicaid spending has exploded from roughly $50 billion to more than $126 billion in a decade—approximately $40 billion more than Texas and Florida combined despite their substantially larger combined population. New York spends about 80% more per enrollee than the national average and substantially more than comparable high-cost states, without delivering correspondingly better outcomes.
At the same time, New York has failed to aggressively police Medicaid fraud. When fraudsters steal from Medicaid, they aren’t just stealing from taxpayers—they’re taking resources from seniors, people with disabilities, children, and low-income Americans who depend on the program.
SNAP recipients have also been victimized by the theft of EBT benefits. New York was slow to implement basic security protections, leaving vulnerable families exposed while taxpayers ultimately covered the losses. Meanwhile, the state’s failure to provide complete fraud information has made it more difficult to determine the full extent of the problem.
New York’s unemployment insurance system presents another warning sign. Under Governor Hochul, the state has experienced extraordinarily high fraud and improper-payment rates, wasting taxpayer dollars that should be available to workers who legitimately lose their jobs.
And while these programs struggle with fraud and improper payments, Albany has committed billions of taxpayer dollars to housing, health care, legal services, and other assistance for migrants.
New Yorkers pay some of the highest taxes in America. They deserve to know their money is being protected.
Preserving Medicaid and SNAP for Americans in Need
I’ve stood up to my own party when necessary to protect Medicaid and SNAP benefits for eligible Americans while supporting commonsense reforms to strengthen these programs by eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse.
That includes stronger eligibility verification and program-integrity safeguards designed to prevent taxpayer-funded benefits from going to scammers, duplicate recipients, or people who aren't legally eligible to receive them.
It also means preserving these programs for the people who genuinely need assistance.
Seniors, people with disabilities, pregnant women, and Americans facing legitimate hardships should have a strong safety net. But able-bodied, non-senior adults who can work should be expected to work, seek work, train, or volunteer at least 80 hours per month in exchange for taxpayer-funded benefits.
That principle isn't about eliminating the safety net. It's about strengthening it for those who need it while encouraging and rewarding work for those who can.
Stopping Fraud, Waste, and Abuse
I’ve supported efforts to protect taxpayer dollars by:
Strengthening oversight and eligibility verification across federal benefit programs to prevent fraud and improper payments.
Holding states accountable for safeguarding the federal taxpayer dollars they administer.
Eliminating wasteful federal spending while preserving legitimate humanitarian and national security priorities.
Increasing congressional oversight of federal agencies to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent for their intended purposes.
Ending abuses of DOJ settlements so settlement funds go to victims or the U.S. Treasury—not politically favored third parties.
The principle is simple: government owes taxpayers responsible stewardship before asking them to pay another dollar.
Fighting fraud isn't about choosing between fiscal responsibility and compassion. It's how we protect both.
I’ll keep fighting to protect taxpayer dollars, preserve Social Security, Veterans’ benefits, Medicaid, SNAP, and other programs Americans depend on, and hold government accountable for delivering results for the people it serves.