Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg spoke on the House Floor in support of H.R. 7726, the Stop Child Care Scams Act, on June 3. The legislation aims to reduce fraud in federal child care assistance programs and ensure taxpayer dollars reach children and families as intended.
“Fraud isn’t new—but what we’ve 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,” Walberg said.
Walberg highlighted recent cases such as fake businesses like “Quality Learning Center” in Minnesota that claimed to serve children but reportedly had no students or staff. He cited an estimated $9 billion lost to fraud, saying weak oversight allowed criminals to profit at the expense of taxpayers. He also referenced incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic where leaders of Feeding Our Future stole more than $250 million in federal nutrition funds intended for hungry children.
“Unfortunately, this problem extends far beyond one state. Across the country, fraudsters are taking advantage of gaps in oversight while taxpayers foot the bill,” Walberg said.
The proposed legislation includes eight bills previously passed by his committee that strengthen auditing, data sharing, and reporting requirements aimed at detecting and preventing 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,” he said.
The House Education and Workforce Committee manages federal programs concerning education, labor, health, workforce development, student loans, worker protections, education policy, labor matters, and related legislative issues, according to the official website.
