{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-colleagues-call-for-passage-of-anti-fraud-package-2/", "Lankford, Colleagues Call for Passage of Anti-Fraud Package", "2026-04-29", "2026", "2026-04", "Republican", "Senate", "OK", "James Lankford", "L000575", "www.lankford.senate.gov", "lankford", "https://www.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases", "page_html", "WASHINGTON, DC \u2014 US Senator James Lankford (R-OK) recently highlighted the inclusion of his Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act in a comprehensive, anti-fraud legislative package led by Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) that brings together 17 commonsense bills to recover stolen funds, protect taxpayer dollars, and stop fraudsters.\n\nFollowing widespread fraud in Minnesota and across the country that exposed an estimated $1.4 billion stolen from taxpayers each day, Lankford and his colleagues are working to hold bad actors accountable and safeguard public funds.\n\n\u201cMaking the government more efficient isn\u2019t a partisan issue, it\u2019s an American issue,\u201d said Lankford. \u201cLoopholes in the law let fraudsters get away with billions in COVID recovery payouts while forcing taxpayers to foot the bill. The Protecting American Taxpayers Act closes those loopholes, by clawing back more than $65 billion in unspent COVID funds to make sure COVID criminals do not escape accountability simply because the clock ran out. I have spent years documenting Washington\u2019s Federal Fumbles, and I am proud my Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act is included in this package. The decades of government waste must come to an end.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe fraud stops here, folks! After massive schemes in Minnesota and beyond were exposed, I\u2019m putting an end to scammers treating the federal government like a personal piggy bank,\u201d said Ernst. \u201cMany politicians and lenient, liberal judges look the other way while criminals steal more than $1 billion from taxpayers every day. I\u2019m stepping up to the plate and bringing my colleagues together to end this theft. The Protecting American Taxpayers Act not only stops fraud before it happens and holds those responsible accountable, but it returns stolen dollars to taxpayers. This overdue legislation will soon be brought to a vote to put every senator on the record on whether they stand with swindlers or taxpayers.\u201d\n\nBackground\n\nLankford\u2019s Recover Fraudulent COVID Funds Act would extend the statute of limitations for all pandemic-era programs. Currently, all of the pandemic-era programs meant to combat fraud ended in 2025, so extending the statute of limitations from 5 years to 10 years would allow law enforcement to combat fraud at all levels.\n\nYou can read the bill text for the Protecting American Taxpayers Act HERE. And can also learn more about the package HERE.\n\n###", 1, "2026-04-30T06:05:15Z", "2026-04-30T06:07:09Z"]], "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.lankford.senate.gov/news/press-releases/lankford-colleagues-call-for-passage-of-anti-fraud-package-2/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9580641053617001, "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"}