Legislation· Mar 2025Sponsored by Jason Smith (R)
Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act
Extends the deadline for prosecuting pandemic unemployment fraud from 5 to 10 years.
Tradeoff
Gives prosecutors and the Labor Department a longer window to pursue fraud cases involving COVID-era jobless benefits. Cuts $5 million in unspent Labor Department anti-fraud funds to offset the bill.
What's in it
Reduces the deficit by $3 million in 2025; spending subject to increases by $5 million over 2025-2030.
The net federal cost is minimal ($3 million deficit reduction in 2025, with $5 million in requested over five years) because this bill primarily extends criminal and civil enforcement timelines for fraud prosecution — the real impact falls on fraud perpetrators facing extended liability windows, not on a federal spending program.
The House passed this 295-127 on March 11, 2025 — now in the Senate.
House
Introduced
(Feb 10, 2025)
House
Committee on Ways and Means(Feb 10, 2025)
House
The Committee on Ways and Means voted to send it to the floor
Reported 24 - 18(Feb 12, 2025)
Committee report H. Rept. 119-6.
House
Passage of the bill
Passed(Roll #68 · Mar 11, 2025)
295 yeanay 127Senate
Received from the House
Received(Mar 12, 2025)
- Darin LaHood (R-IL)
- Rudy Yakym (R-IN)
- Aaron Bean (R-FL)
- Nathaniel Moran (R-TX)
- Beth Van Duyne (R-TX)
- Randy Feenstra (R-IA)
- Mike Carey (R-OH)
- Max L. Miller (R-OH)
- W. Gregory Steube (R-FL)
- Vern Buchanan (R-FL)
- Claudia Tenney (R-NY)
- Adrian Smith (R-NE)
- Carol D. Miller (R-WV)
- Lloyd Smucker (R-PA)
- David Kustoff (R-TN)
- Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY)
- Gregory F. Murphy (R-NC)
- Blake D. Moore (R-UT)
- Ron Estes (R-KS)
- Mike Kelly (R-PA)
- Kevin Hern (R-OK)
- Jodey C. Arrington (R-TX)
- Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA)
- Michelle Fischbach (R-MN)
- David Schweikert (R-AZ)
Passage votes so far· Mar 11, 2025· 119th Congress · 2025–2027