{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-lankford-republican-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-stop-fraud-protect-taxpayers/", "Cassidy, Lankford, Republican Colleagues Introduce Bill to Stop Fraud, Protect Taxpayers", "2026-03-09", "2026", "2026-03", "Republican", "Senate", "LA", "Bill Cassidy", "C001075", "www.cassidy.senate.gov", "cassidy", "https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/?jsf=jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "WASHINGTON \u2013 U.S. Senators Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA) and James Lankford (R-OK), and a group of Republican colleagues introduced the Stop Unemployment Fraud Act to strengthen safeguards against fraud in the unemployment insurance system and protect taxpayer dollars.\n\n\u201cThe unemployment system should benefit Americans who are looking to get back on their feet, not scammers,\u201d said Dr. Cassidy. \u201cWe\u2019re eliminating the waste, fraud, and abuse in the system, saving taxpayer dollars and serving people who actually need it.\u201d\n\n\u201cMaking the government more efficient isn\u2019t a partisan issue, it\u2019s an American issue,\u201d said Senator Lankford. \u201cDuring COVID, fraudsters exploited loopholes in the unemployment system and stole billions while taxpayers were left with the bill. This legislation strengthens verification, improves coordination between states, and ensures benefits go to the Americans who actually qualify, not criminals exploiting the system.\u201d\n\nThe Stop Unemployment Fraud Act would:\n\nStrengthen identity verification requirements for unemployment claimants\n\nRequire states to cross-check claims using fraud detection systems to prevent duplicate or improper payments\n\nEnd the \u201cpay and chase\u201d model by ensuring benefits are not issued before eligibility is verified\n\nStrengthen work-search requirements and federal oversight of state compliance\n\nAllow states to retain a portion of recovered overpayments to invest in fraud prevention and program administration\n\nCassidy and Lankford were joined by U.S. Senators Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Steve Daines (R-MT) and U.S. Representatives Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-16), Adrian Smith (R-NE-03), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24), Randy Feenstra (R-IA-04), Max Miller (R-OH-07), Claudia Tenney (R-NY-24), Mike Kelly (R-PA-16), Jodey Arrington (R-TX-19), Blake Moore (R-UT-01), Nathaniel Moran (R-TX-01), Carol Miller (R-WV-01), Vince Fong (R-CA-20), and Aaron Bean (R-FL-04) in introducing the legislation.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-03-30T11:08:25Z"]], "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://www.cassidy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/cassidy-lankford-republican-colleagues-introduce-bill-to-stop-fraud-protect-taxpayers/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9540310129523277, "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"}