No More SCAMS Act
- Sponsor
- Rep. Kim, Young [R-CA-40]
- Committees
- Oversight and Government Reform Committee (primary)
- Last action
- Feb 2, 2026
Bottom line
This bill creates a dedicated interagency task force to enhance federal efforts in preventing, investigating, and recovering funds lost to fraud across government programs.
What it actually does
This bill establishes the Federal Fraud Interagency Task Force, a new body mandated to investigate and combat fraud involving federal funds. It requires the appointment of a Director and expert members from various federal agencies, outlines specific duties including interagency coordination and developing best practices, and mandates annual reporting and audits to ensure accountability.
Proponents argue
Supporters would argue this bill is a crucial step to protect taxpayer dollars by creating a centralized, expert body to aggressively pursue fraud, improve interagency coordination, and develop preventative measures, ultimately leading to greater accountability and recovery of misused federal funds.
Opponents contend
Potential opponents might argue that existing agencies already have anti-fraud capabilities and creating a new task force could lead to bureaucratic duplication, inefficient resource allocation, or overlap with the mandates of Inspectors General and other law enforcement bodies, without a clear demonstration of added value.
The bill is very short and clear, making it highly accessible for a quick and comprehensive understanding.
Section 2(a)
Establishment of the Federal Fraud Interagency Task Force
This provision mandates the President to establish the Federal Fraud Interagency Task Force within 90 days of the bill's enactment. The Task Force's primary goals are to investigate and combat fraud involving federal funds, improve coordination among agencies in anti-fraud efforts, and recover money that has been misused.
Supporters argue
Supporters argue that a dedicated, high-level task force is essential to address the pervasive issue of federal fraud, which costs taxpayers billions annually, by centralizing efforts and ensuring a coordinated response that individual agencies might struggle to achieve alone.
Critics contend
Critics might contend that establishing a new task force could create bureaucratic redundancy, as many federal agencies already have fraud prevention and investigation units, potentially leading to turf wars or inefficient use of existing resources.
Tradeoffs
The tension lies between the potential benefits of enhanced coordination and focused anti-fraud efforts versus the risk of creating another layer of bureaucracy that might duplicate existing functions or divert resources from established anti-fraud entities.
Section 2(b)
Appointment of Director and Members
This section outlines the process for appointing the Task Force's Director and members. The Director, appointed by the President for a four-year term, must have at least 10 years of experience in fraud investigation or federal law enforcement. Members are to be appointed from each 'covered agency' and must be subject matter experts in areas like federal financial management, grants, auditing, forensic accounting, or fraud risk management.
Section 2(c)
Core Responsibilities of the Task Force
This provision details the five core duties of the Task Force. These include investigating fraud allegations involving federal funds, coordinating with state and local law enforcement, developing best practices and training programs for federal agencies to prevent and identify fraud, facilitating interagency cooperation through data and resource sharing, and integrating existing federal anti-fraud initiatives.
Section 2(d)
Accountability and Transparency Measures
This section establishes accountability mechanisms for the Task Force. It requires the Director to submit an annual report, starting one year after enactment, to the President and key congressional committees. This report must detail the number of investigations, prosecutions, funds recovered, agency contributions, fraud trends, and recommendations. Additionally, the Comptroller General is mandated to conduct an annual audit of the Task Force's operations and spending.