The U.S. Department of the Treasury said it has implemented a new government-wide payment verification process designed to block federal payments from reaching deceased individuals, a measure required under an executive order signed by President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Treasury and the Bureau of the Fiscal Service announced that the screening system has reviewed more than 885 million federal payments totaling roughly $2.77 trillion. Of those, over 4,900 payments totaling approximately $99 million were flagged as tied to deceased payees and returned to the originating federal agencies for review before any funds were released.
The safeguard fulfills a requirement of Executive Order 14249, Protecting America’s Bank Account Against Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, which Trump signed on March 25, 2025.
“Treasury has delivered on a key promise of President Trump’s mandate to stop improper payments and fraud before money leaves the Treasury, and strengthen the integrity of the federal payment system,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. “Together with Vice President Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this new safeguard addresses a longstanding vulnerability and helps ensure every dollar the federal government spends reaches its intended recipient. Treasury will continue efforts to modernize the federal payment system, strengthen safeguards against fraud and improper payments, and protect taxpayer dollars.”
Background
The screening capability builds on Treasury’s expanded access to the Social Security Administration’s Full Death Master File, which enables broader identification of deceased payees before payments are issued. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 initially granted Treasury temporary access to the data through a three-year pilot program.
During the first year of the pilot, Treasury projected an estimated $330 million in net benefits between 2024 and 2026 through reductions in improper payments.
In February 2026, Congress passed, and Trump signed, the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, giving Treasury permanent access to the Full Death Master File and allowing the payment integrity work to continue on a lasting basis.
Treasury said it will continue rolling out payment verification capabilities required under the executive order to further guard against fraud, waste, and improper payments across the federal government.
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