No Funds for Repeat Child Care Violations Act of 2026
Floor Speech
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Mr. STAUBER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7726, the Stop Child Care Scams Act.
This legislation is about something every American should agree on: Childcare assistance should go to children and families who need help, not to criminals and fraudsters who exploit the system for personal gain.
A GAO report found that $325 million in improper childcare payments were made in a single year, enough to fund the childcare programs of nearly one-third of the States in this country. That is money that should have been helping working families, not lost to waste, fraud, and abuse.
In my home State of Minnesota, taxpayers have watched massive fraud schemes unfold in childcare programs under the failed leadership of Governor Tim Walz. Thanks to State officials' repeated failure to provide the oversight necessary to protect programs intended to serve vulnerable children and families, Minnesota taxpayers were scammed out of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars. These failures undermined public trust and diverted resources away from those who truly needed them.
That is why I introduced the Stop Fraud by SOMALIA Act. My bill was designed to strengthen accountability, protect taxpayer dollars, and ensure that bad actors can no longer exploit childcare programs at taxpayer expense.
I am pleased to see that several provisions for my legislation are included in H.R. 7726. This bill permanently bars fraudulent childcare providers from receiving Federal funds, strengthens Federal oversight and enforcement, and cracks down on providers who falsify records, submit false information, or misuse taxpayer dollars.
Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that cannot be used to help a working parent afford childcare or support a child who depends on these services. We have a responsibility to ensure these programs operate with integrity and accountability.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 7726 and help restore trust in these important programs.
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