Republican Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford is introducing a bill Thursday aimed at eradicating fraud from unemployment programs, particularly in blue states.
Lankford is introducing The Stop Unemployment Fraud Act to reform the joint federal-state Unemployment Insurance (UI) program following the hundreds of billions in fraudulent unemployment payments made during the height of the layoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill would strengthen the program and ensure only those eligible and in need would be able to benefit from the system.
“Making the government more efficient isn’t a partisan issue, it’s an American issue,” Lankford told the Daily Caller News Foundation in a statement.
The bill would make UI applicants verify their identity and would only allow UI payments once eligibility is determined, requiring states to use the Integrity Data Hub — a fraud alert center — to crossmatch unemployment claimants. It will also strengthen work search requirements and direct the Department of Labor to monitor state compliance with work requirements.
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