{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://hamadeh.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1009", "House Passes Legislation Targeting Fraud in Federally Funded Programs", "2026-09-16", "2026", "2026-09", "Republican", "House", "AZ", "Abraham J. Hamadeh", "H001098", "hamadeh.house.gov", "hamadeh", "https://hamadeh.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Legislation cosponsored by Congressman Abraham Hamadeh (AZ-08), the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026, was passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday.\n\nThe legislation makes permanent the newly established National Fraud Enforcement Division within the Department of Justice (DOJ). The legislation would establish an Assistant Attorney General, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate, to lead DOJ efforts to investigate, prosecute, and prevent fraud within federally funded programs.\n\n\u201cI want to thank my colleagues for passing this critical legislation,\u201d stated Congressman Hamadeh. \u201cThe criminals, who have created the need for this enforcement effort, have not only stolen taxpayer dollars, but have victimized the most vulnerable in our society by depleting the resources allocated for their needs.\u201d\n\n\u201cJust this week, a criminal, who is a resident in my district, was charged with fraudulently billing Arizona\u2019s federally funded Medicaid agency, AHCCS, of more than $33 million in one year alone,\u201d stated Congressman Hamadeh. \u201cHe specifically targeted AHCCCS enrollees who were covered under the American Indian Health Care Program. He exploited vulnerable people to buy expensive property and luxury items. These federal funds are finite, so not only did he target a vulnerable population, but his thievery also serves to weaken the crucial safety net Americans need for education, medical care, retirement, and more.\u201d\n\nCongressman Hamadeh is one of 4 cosponsors on this crucial legislation alongside Reps. Schmidt (R-KS), Hageman (R-WY), and Fischbach (R-MN).\n\nBackground:\n\nActing Attorney General Todd Blanche announced this year the establishment of the National Fraud Enforcement Division within the Department of Justice, tasked with investigating and prosecuting those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars.\n\nThe National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026 would establish a permanent National Fraud Enforcement Division within the Department of Justice.\n\nThis division will:\n\no Streamline federal fraud investigations\n\no Lead efforts to investigate, prosecute, and remedy fraud\n\no Oversee fraud investigations across multiple agencies\n\no Work with other DOJ components to identify common fraud schemes\n\no Propose future legislative/regulatory reforms to fix vulnerabilities in the system\n\no Advise the Attorney General on fraud investigations", 1, "2026-09-17T09:52:05Z", "2026-09-17T09:53:00Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://hamadeh.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1009"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9526140056550503, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}