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Press Release Published: Jan 8, 2026

Sessions Announces Hearing on Detecting and Preventing Fraud in Federal Programs

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WASHINGTON—Subcommittee on Government Operations Chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas) today announced a hearing titled “Curbing Federal Fraud: Examining Innovative Tools to Detect and Prevent Fraud in Federal Programs.” The Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates that the federal government loses between $231 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud in federal programs. During the hearing, members will build on prior efforts to examine innovative and cost-effective tools available to federal programs to detect and prevent improper and fraudulent payments. Members will also discuss how to effectively transition the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) from pandemic-focused efforts to government-wide fraud detection and prevention efforts.

“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,” said Subcommittee Chairman Sessions.

WHAT: Subcommittee on Government Operations hearing on “Curbing Federal Fraud: Examining Innovative Tools to Detect and Prevent Fraud in Federal Programs”

DATE: Tuesday, January 13, 2026

TIME: 2:00 P.M. EST

LOCATION: HVC-210, U.S. Capitol Visitors Center

WITNESSES:

  • Ken Dieffenbach, Executive Director, Pandemic Response Accountability Committee
  • Renata Miskell, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Accounting Policy & Financial Transparency, U.S. Department of Treasury’s Bureau of Fiscal Service
  • Sterling Thomas, Chief Scientist, U.S. Government Accountability Office

WATCH: The hearing is open to the public and will be livestreamed here.