The U.S. Senate has unanimously passed the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, a bipartisan bill led by Senators John Kennedy (R-La.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). The legislation aims to stop federal payments from being made to individuals who have died, thereby saving taxpayer funds.
The original version of this reform was enacted as a temporary measure for three years, with projections that it would save at least $330 million between 2024 and 2026. The new bill seeks to make these changes permanent.
“It is unconscionable that hardworking Americans are forced to foot the bill for the government’s wasteful payments to dead people. I applaud the U.S. Senate for taking bold action by passing my crucial bill to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse from our federal budget. Now, the U.S. House of Representatives ought to step up and pass this vital reform without delay,” said Kennedy.
“This bill will help save millions of taxpayer dollars by ensuring that the Social Security Administration can permanently share important data with the Treasury’s Do Not Pay system, preventing wrongful payments to deceased individuals. I have long supported this legislation because I believe it is a vital step in safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring the integrity of our payment systems,” said Peters.
“This bipartisan bill fixes our federal government’s payment systems so that millions of taxpayer dollars are saved every year. As Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee, I am committed to ensuring that Americans’ hard earned benefits are protected. That’s why I’m supporting this bill to ensure Americans’ personal data and earned benefits from Social Security are protected,” said Wyden.
According to an announcement from the Treasury Department in January 2025, $31 million in fraudulent or improper payments were recovered during the first five months after implementation of Kennedy’s Stopping Improper Payments to Deceased People Act. This was achieved through temporary sharing of death records between the Social Security Administration and Treasury.
The newly passed legislation would amend the Social Security Act so that sharing of the Death Master File—records identifying deceased individuals—with Treasury’s Do Not Pay system becomes permanent. This is intended to reduce future erroneous government payments.
Additionally, under this law, information on deaths can be compared across federal agencies using the Do Not Pay system, further reducing risks of improper disbursements.
Other senators who cosponsored the bill include Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), and Mark Warner (D-Va.).
“Government by and for the people should run as efficiently as possible, and we owe it to the people to cut waste. I’m proud to cosponsor the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, which has now passed out of the Senate, that permanently codifies coordination between the Department of Treasury and Social Security Administration to eliminate payments to dead people,” said Moody.
“I’m glad to see this important legislation to save taxpayer money pass through the Senate. This is the kind of strategic approach we should be taking to improve government efficiency — a measured and bipartisan legislative fix to ensure federal funds are being appropriately spent. I hope this targeted fix is soon signed into law,” said Warner.
Senator Kennedy has been active on this issue for several years:
– In July 2025, his legislation was advanced unanimously by a Senate committee.
– In December 2024 and May 2024, he urged support for similar reforms.
– His earlier act mandating temporary data sharing became law in December 2020.
– In previous years he raised concerns about more than $1 billion being sent erroneously.
The full text of the current bill is available online.
