Protecting Taxpayers and Victims of Unemployment Fraud Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Mr. Speaker, we all share the goal of fighting fraud. As my colleague just said, there are things that we can and do agree on, but this bill isn't that.

Our focus should be on going after those who stole unemployment insurance money and fixing the broken systems that enable them.

Instead, the Republicans' bill seeks to claw back funds included in the American Rescue Plan that would allow the States to do what we are asking today.

Mr. Smith's bill will make it easier for the bad guys to cheat the system, not harder, and it will hurt the hardworking, law-abiding citizens.

Countless honest taxpayers hit hard by the pandemic followed the rules of their State, received their benefits, and used those funds to pay for their children's healthcare, to pay their rent, and simply to make ends meet. They had no way of knowing the State had mistakenly overpaid them.

During the markup, I asked Chairman Smith what protections were included in this bill to ensure that honest taxpayers didn't get surprise bills or face prosecution from States.

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. During the markup, I asked what protections were in place to protect those honest taxpayers. Neither the Chair nor any of my Republican colleagues could point to any protections.

While both sides of the aisle care about fighting fraud--and I know we do--this bill makes clear that only Democrats care about protecting hardworking, honest Americans from receiving surprise bills and being treated like criminals.

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