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[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5548 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5548
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the President
from providing assistance to the government of any country that has
failed to extradite an individual that has been convicted of committing
fraud against the United States or that has failed to take all
appropriate measures with respect to assisting the recoupment of those
funds.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 23, 2025
Mr. Finstad introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the President
from providing assistance to the government of any country that has
failed to extradite an individual that has been convicted of committing
fraud against the United States or that has failed to take all
appropriate measures with respect to assisting the recoupment of those
funds.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Fraud Accountability and Recovery
Act''.
SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON ASSISTANCE.
Section 620 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2370)
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(z) No assistance shall be furnished under this Act to the
government of any country the President determines--
``(1) has failed to extradite an individual convicted of
committing fraud against the United States or benefitting from
the proceeds of defrauding the United States; or
``(2) has failed to take all appropriate legal,
administrative, or enforcement measures to assist in the
recoupment of Federal funds fraudulently stolen from the United
States by identifying, freezing, seizing, and repatriating the
funds so fraudulently obtained.''.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Government Accountability Office, the
Federal Government lost between $233,000,000,000 and
$521,000,000,000 annually to fraud from fiscal years 2018
through 2022.
(2) The range reflects the varying risk environments for
fraud--ninety percent of the estimated fraud losses fell in
this range.
(3) In Minnesota, the nonprofit organization Feeding Our
Future and associated individuals carried out the largest
COVID-19 pandemic fraud scheme in the United States, stealing
over $250,000,000 intended to feed hungry children.
(4) The Department of Justice has charged 75 defendants in
the fraud scheme, and Federal prosecutors have secured multiple
convictions against participants in this scheme, which involved
the submission of false reimbursement claims, the creation of
fictitious meal sites, and the laundering of Federal funds
through shell entities and fraudulent invoices.
(5) Charges and convictions in the Feeding Our Future
scheme include--
(A) wire fraud;
(B) conspiracy to commit wire fraud;
(C) theft of government funds;
(D) conspiracy to defraud the United States;
(E) Federal program bribery;
(F) money laundering; and
(G) engaging in monetary transactions with
criminally derived property.
(6) Some of the proceeds of this fraud were used to
purchase luxury real estate and vehicles, and at least one
defendant transferred funds and property abroad, including to
Kenya, beyond the reach of United States authorities.
SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress as follows:
(1) The United States lacks adequate tools to ensure the
recovery of stolen taxpayer funds and property transferred
overseas, leaving American taxpayers without recourse when
foreign jurisdictions fail to cooperate.
(2) Strengthening program integrity, recouping stolen
funds, and preventing individuals convicted of defrauding
Federal programs from seeking international harbor are
essential to safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring
programs assist those that Congress intended.
(3) Providing additional deterrence by ensuring potential
fraudsters lack a safe harbor abroad is critical to preventing
future fraud schemes.
SEC. 5. WAIVER.
(a) In General.--The President may waive the limitation under
section 620(z) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by
section 2, if the President certifies to Congress that prohibiting such
assistance is contrary to the national security of the United States.
(b) Prior Notification.--Not later than 15 days before the entry
into effect of a waiver under subsection (a), the President shall
submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a
notification of intent to issue such a waiver, along with a
justification.
SEC. 6. REPORT ON NONCOMPLIANT COUNTRIES.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act,
and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report that--
(1) lists each country the President determines has failed
to take all appropriate legal, administrative, or enforcement
measures as described in section 620(z)(2) of the Foreign
Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 2); and
(2) describes the total amount of fraudulently obtained
funds and court-ordered remedies, such as recoveries,
restitution, or fines, along with seizures and forfeitures from
the United States attributable to the failure to take all such
measures by each such country.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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