No Funds for Repeat Child Care Violations Act of 2026

Floor Speech

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1333, I call up the bill (H.R. 7726) to amend the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 to withhold funds from noncompliant States under such Act, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

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Mr. WALBERG. 7726.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Stop Child Care Scams Act to fight childcare fraud and protect taxpayer dollars.

Fraud isn't new, but what we have seen in recent years is staggering. Billions of dollars have been stolen from programs meant to help children and families. As Americans work day in and day out to put food on the table and support their families, fraudsters are lining their pockets with dollars meant to help hungry Americans and innocent children.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear. Every dollar stolen through fraud is a dollar that cannot help feed a hungry person or provide childcare for kids and families who need it.

Minnesota, sadly, has become a glaring example of this failure. Fake businesses, like the now infamous Quality Learing Center, claimed to serve children, but in reality, many of these facilities sat empty with no students and no staff.

The scale of this abuse, Mr. Speaker, is staggering. An estimated $9 billion was lost to fraud. That is $9 billion that could have supported real childcare services or fed families in need. Instead, weak oversight allowed criminals to get rich at the expense of children and taxpayers, and it doesn't stop there.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders of the nonprofit group Feeding Our Future stole more than $250 million in Federal nutrition funds meant for hungry children. Instead, those dollars were spent lavishly on luxury cars and mansions. That is not just fraud. It is theft from the most vulnerable.

Unfortunately, this problem extends far beyond the State. Across the country, fraudsters are taking advantage of gaps in oversight while taxpayers foot the bill. That is why this legislation is so important.

In March, my committee passed the eight bills included in this package. I thank Representatives Messmer, Grothman, Onder, Foxx, Wilson, Rulli, Owens, and Miller for their hard work to tackle this problem.

Each of the bills is included in the Stop Child Care Scams Act, which delivers commonsense reforms to restore integrity to these programs. It strengthens auditing and data sharing and increases reporting requirements to detect and prevent fraud. Just as importantly, it kicks fraudsters out of assistance programs, ensuring bad actors can't jump between Federal assistance programs to defraud hardworking Americans.

This bill is guided by a simple principle: Taxpayer money meant for children and working families should never be lost to waste, fraud, or abuse.

Mr. Speaker, we know most childcare providers are doing the right thing, but when fraud runs rampant, it drives up costs, reduces access, and undermines trust in the system. If we want to protect access to affordable, high-quality childcare, we must first eliminate the fraud draining these programs.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Stop Child Care Scams Act to protect children, restore accountability, and ensure these programs serve those who truly need them.

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Mr. WALBERG.

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Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, now I will get back on the germane issues that we are dealing with with this legislation and not rabid statements without foundation.

We have the responsibility to ensure taxpayer dollars are used to help Americans, not fraudsters and scammers. Mr. Speaker, if you noticed today, we heard testimony from members of this committee and off this committee, including a Member we just heard from Minnesota, the State with a significant problem that alerted us to the fraud, waste, and abuse that was going on, not simply States or Members that are going to be so-called targeted by the President.

These are Members who understand what went on and how taxpayer funds were being abused through fraud.

For too long, criminals have exploited Federal programs, stealing billions while children and families lose access to critical support. That must end.

The Stop Child Care Scams Act strengthens oversight, closes loopholes, and prevents bad actors from continuing their schemes across multiple programs.

These are straightforward, long-overdue reforms that will make a real difference. Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar taken from someone who truly needs help.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the Stop Child Care Scams Act.

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