The Subcommittee on Government Operations, led by Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas), has announced a hearing focused on strategies to detect and prevent fraud in federal programs. The session, titled “Curbing Federal Fraud: Examining Innovative Tools to Detect and Prevent Fraud in Federal Programs,” will address the significant financial losses caused by fraudulent activities targeting government programs.
According to estimates from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), annual losses due to fraud in federal programs range from $231 billion to $521 billion. The hearing aims to explore new methods and technologies that could improve detection and prevention of improper or fraudulent payments within federal agencies. Members will also discuss how the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) can transition from its pandemic-related work to broader efforts in combating government-wide fraud.
Subcommittee Chairman Sessions stated, “The federal government loses hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars every year due to fraudulent programs scamming the system. The current ‘Pay and Chase’ method fails to adequately detect fraud and does not incentivize federal agencies to block improper payments. Congress has a duty to the American people to be a good steward of their taxpayer dollars and must build on President Trump’s progress of delivering transparency and accountability in the government. This hearing will provide an opportunity to spotlight new, innovative solutions to detect and prevent fraud across federal agencies. I look forward to hearing from witnesses on how Congress can do its part to save taxpayers billions and ensure legitimate federal programs have the funding they need.”
The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. EST in HVC-210 at the U.S. Capitol Visitors Center. It will feature testimony from Ken Dieffenbach, Executive Director of PRAC; Renata Miskell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Accounting Policy & Financial Transparency at the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service; and Sterling Thomas, Chief Scientist at GAO.
The event is open to the public and will be livestreamed online.
