U.S. Senator Ted Budd (R-N.C.) has joined Senators Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) in introducing the Fraud Accountability Act. The proposed legislation seeks to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by explicitly listing fraud as a deportable offense. It would also clarify that individuals who commit any deportable offense, including fraud, could be subject to denaturalization.
Senator Budd stated, “North Carolina taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to foot the bill for blatant fraud schemes across the country. If government programs using taxpayer dollars are not run responsibly, we must ensure those who steal taxpayer dollars are held accountable.”
Senator Blackburn added, “Anyone who comes to the United States and steals from American taxpayers by committing fraud should be deported. The fraud schemes we have seen in Minnesota and across the country are a betrayal of hardworking American taxpayers, and individuals like the Somali scammers in Minnesota should be subject to both deportation and denaturalization for these crimes. The Fraud Accountability Act would hold these criminals accountable for robbing American taxpayers.”
The House version of this legislation is being led by Representative Buddy Carter (R-Ga.-01).
Federal prosecutors allege that more than $9 billion in taxpayer funds may have been stolen in Minnesota through fraudulent activities involving groups posing as social service providers under Governor Walz’s administration. In 2024, a rule requiring child care centers to verify attendance for federal funding was eliminated by the Biden administration. Reports indicate that concerns about widespread misuse of taxpayer money prompted President Trump to freeze over $10 billion in federal grants across five states.
If enacted, the Fraud Accountability Act would add any crime of fraud—regardless of amount or whether it is committed against private parties or government entities—as grounds for deportation under immigration law. It would also allow revocation of citizenship for those found guilty of such offenses.
