Trump Signs Kennedy Bill Ending Government Payments to Deceased Americans

President Donald Trump signed Sen. John Kennedy's (R-La.) Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act into law this week, permanently closing a loophole that allowed taxpayer dollars to be sent to people who had already died.

 Yes, that was happening.

Sen. Kennedy has pressed the issue for years. His 2020 bipartisan reform temporarily required the Social Security Administration to share its Death Master File with the Treasury Department to prevent improper payments. That three-year safeguard was projected to save at least $330 million between 2024 and 2026. The new law makes that data-sharing permanent and strengthens the Treasury’s Do Not Pay system, allowing agencies to cross-check death records before sending money out the door.

Sen. Kennedy put it plainly:

“Using dead Americans to rip off taxpayers is as low as it gets. Many Americans have seen these scams play out across the country and are tired of watching these fraudsters game the system—so am I. That’s why I wrote this common-sense bill to end this outrageous abuse permanently, and I’m grateful President Trump signed it into law so we can ensure taxpayer dollars go to living Americans who actually need our help.”

The problem, as supporters describe it, was straightforward: The government had the data, but it just wasn’t permanently integrated into its payment guardrails.

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Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) addressed that point directly:

“Fraudsters gave eternal life to thousands of Americans who died long ago. With President Trump signing the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act into law today, we’re finally stopping fraud dead in its tracks that RIPs off the taxpayers. I’m proud to support this commonsense bill to protect our hard-earned tax dollars, enact stronger safeguards, and restore accountability.”

The Senate unanimously cleared the bill in September 2025, and the House followed in January 2026. That kind of vote total doesn’t happen by accident.

Sen. Kennedy posted this image from the bill signing:

It’s not sweeping reform. It won’t fix the entire government. But it does something basic that should have been standard practice all along, making sure taxpayer dollars go to eligible, living Americans.