WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed legislation this week that allows a government watchdog agency access to a key database in order to identify potential fraud in federal programs.
Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., sponsored the bill, which deals with the National Directory of New Hires, a federal database that contains personal and financial data on nearly every working American, as well as those receiving unemployment compensation.
The Government Accountability Office has been trying for years to gain access to the database as part of its work to root out waste, fraud and abuse in programs that provide benefits tied to the recipient’s income, but it had been blocked.
jmorton@owh.com, (202) 997-9787
Joseph Morton
Reporter - Politics/Washington D.C.
Joseph Morton is The World-Herald Washington Bureau Chief. Morton joined The World-Herald in 1999 and has been reporting from Washington for the newspaper since 2006. Follow him on Twitter @MortonOWH. Email:joseph.morton@owh.com
