Discussion · Senate
Ron Wyden Democrat
“I oppose this bill. Real fraud should be stopped, but this bill just cuts help for families who need healthcare, food, and childcare. It punishes normal people and childcare providers instead of going after real criminals. We should fund the investigators who already stop fraud and go after rich people and big companies who cheat on their taxes.”
“Mr. President, reserving the right to object, every bit-- every bit--of real fraud needs to be rooted out. Unfortunately, the Trump fraud policy is not about that. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have begun to make a habit out of calling any Federal policy they don’t like ``undeserving fraud”: Medicaid, fraudulent; Affordable Care Act coverage, fraudulent; SNAP, fraudulent; childcare, fraudulent; Social Security, fraudulent; kids with disabilities who need Medicaid for home care, fraudsters; small business owners with ACA plans, fraudsters; families who need help paying for groceries, fraudsters; working parents who need childcare, fraudsters; seniors living paycheck to paycheck, fraudsters. Americans are struggling to afford necessities--food and electricity and medical care. The Republican solution to these challenges is to create more hoops, more redtape, more cuts. The result is more pain and suffering for Americans in need and higher costs for families. When it comes to fighting fraud, there are proven approaches that we can use right now. Earlier this summer, I introduced bipartisan legislation with Chairman Crapo, the senior Senator from Iowa, and Senator Cortez Masto that provides a sustainable funding boost to the cops on the beat at the Office of Inspector General at HHS. This organization is so good at what it does that it recovers up to $12 in fraud for every $1 spent on resources. My view is that is a no-brainer. Senator Ernst’s bill is chock-full of automatic triggers, privacy violations, and power grabs for Trump’s false-flag schemes on fraud. It is nothing more than a veiled attempt to make life harder for the working families that I was just talking about, who need help with the rising costs of healthcare, childcare, and more. For example, an automatic HHS investigation is triggered if a childcare provider’s payments increase by 10 percent or more in a 6- month period. That increase could be triggered for reasonable situations: The provider is simply serving more kids, serving kids with disabilities, or creating more slots for infants. The prospect of a Federal investigation, if they increase their enrollment or care for more infants, would deter many providers from expanding their services, making it even more difficult for families to afford good healthcare and childcare. The bottom line is this government overreach wouldn’t fight actual fraud. It would make it harder and more expensive for families to get the care and support they need. In addition to funding the cops on the street, I am also squarely focused on going after the greatest source of fraud: sophisticated corporations and the ultrarich using well-heeled lawyers and accountants to flout the Federal laws to avoid paying what they owe or bilking billions from taxpayers. In my view, that ought to be the focus of Congress’ efforts to fight fraud. For those reasons, I object.”
-
Speech in the House
Reasoning 100 of 100
This statement drew 7 conclusions and gave a reason for each one.
See full analysis
Mr. President, reserving the right to object, every bit-- every bit--of real fraud needs to be rooted out. Unfortunately, the Trump fraud policy is not about that. The Trump administration and Republicans in Congress have begun to make a habit out of calling any Federal policy they don’t like ``undeserving fraud”: Medicaid, fraudulent; Affordable Care Act coverage, fraudulent; SNAP, fraudulent; childcare, fraudulent; Social Security, fraudulent; kids with disabilities who need Medicaid for home care, fraudsters; small business owners with ACA plans, fraudsters; families who need help paying for groceries, fraudsters; working parents who need childcare, fraudsters; seniors living paycheck to paycheck, fraudsters. Americans are struggling to afford necessities--food and electricity and medical care. The Republican solution to these challenges is to create more hoops, more redtape, more cuts. The result is more pain and suffering for Americans in need and higher costs for families. When it comes to fighting fraud, there are proven approaches that we can use right now. Earlier this summer, I introduced bipartisan legislation with Chairman Crapo, the senior Senator from Iowa, and Senator Cortez Masto that provides a sustainable funding boost to the cops on the beat at the Office of Inspector General at HHS. This organization is so good at what it does that it recovers up to $12 in fraud for every $1 spent on resources. My view is that is a no-brainer. Senator Ernst’s bill is chock-full of automatic triggers, privacy violations, and power grabs for Trump’s false-flag schemes on fraud. It is nothing more than a veiled attempt to make life harder for the working families that I was just talking about, who need help with the rising costs of healthcare, childcare, and more. For example, an automatic HHS investigation is triggered if a childcare provider’s payments increase by 10 percent or more in a 6- month period. That increase could be triggered for reasonable situations: The provider is simply serving more kids, serving kids with disabilities, or creating more slots for infants. The prospect of a Federal investigation, if they increase their enrollment or care for more infants, would deter many providers from expanding their services, making it even more difficult for families to afford good healthcare and childcare. The bottom line is this government overreach wouldn’t fight actual fraud. It would make it harder and more expensive for families to get the care and support they need. In addition to funding the cops on the street, I am also squarely focused on going after the greatest source of fraud: sophisticated corporations and the ultrarich using well-heeled lawyers and accountants to flout the Federal laws to avoid paying what they owe or bilking billions from taxpayers. In my view, that ought to be the focus of Congress’ efforts to fight fraud. For those reasons, I object.