H.R. 5548

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5548 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5548

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the President 
from providing assistance to the government of any country that has 
failed to extradite an individual that has been convicted of committing 
fraud against the United States or that has failed to take all 
appropriate measures with respect to assisting the recoupment of those 
funds.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

September 23, 2025

Mr. Finstad introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To amend the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to prohibit the President 
from providing assistance to the government of any country that has 
failed to extradite an individual that has been convicted of committing 
fraud against the United States or that has failed to take all 
appropriate measures with respect to assisting the recoupment of those 
funds.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Fraud Accountability and Recovery 
Act''.

SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON ASSISTANCE.

Section 620 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2370) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(z) No assistance shall be furnished under this Act to the 
government of any country the President determines--
``(1) has failed to extradite an individual convicted of 
committing fraud against the United States or benefitting from 
the proceeds of defrauding the United States; or
``(2) has failed to take all appropriate legal, 
administrative, or enforcement measures to assist in the 
recoupment of Federal funds fraudulently stolen from the United 
States by identifying, freezing, seizing, and repatriating the 
funds so fraudulently obtained.''.

SEC. 3. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Government Accountability Office, the 
Federal Government lost between $233,000,000,000 and 
$521,000,000,000 annually to fraud from fiscal years 2018 
through 2022.
(2) The range reflects the varying risk environments for 
fraud--ninety percent of the estimated fraud losses fell in 
this range.
(3) In Minnesota, the nonprofit organization Feeding Our 
Future and associated individuals carried out the largest 
COVID-19 pandemic fraud scheme in the United States, stealing 
over $250,000,000 intended to feed hungry children.
(4) The Department of Justice has charged 75 defendants in 
the fraud scheme, and Federal prosecutors have secured multiple 
convictions against participants in this scheme, which involved 
the submission of false reimbursement claims, the creation of 
fictitious meal sites, and the laundering of Federal funds 
through shell entities and fraudulent invoices.
(5) Charges and convictions in the Feeding Our Future 
scheme include--
(A) wire fraud;
(B) conspiracy to commit wire fraud;
(C) theft of government funds;
(D) conspiracy to defraud the United States;
(E) Federal program bribery;
(F) money laundering; and
(G) engaging in monetary transactions with 
criminally derived property.
(6) Some of the proceeds of this fraud were used to 
purchase luxury real estate and vehicles, and at least one 
defendant transferred funds and property abroad, including to 
Kenya, beyond the reach of United States authorities.

SEC. 4. SENSE OF CONGRESS.

It is the sense of Congress as follows:
(1) The United States lacks adequate tools to ensure the 
recovery of stolen taxpayer funds and property transferred 
overseas, leaving American taxpayers without recourse when 
foreign jurisdictions fail to cooperate.
(2) Strengthening program integrity, recouping stolen 
funds, and preventing individuals convicted of defrauding 
Federal programs from seeking international harbor are 
essential to safeguarding taxpayer dollars and ensuring 
programs assist those that Congress intended.
(3) Providing additional deterrence by ensuring potential 
fraudsters lack a safe harbor abroad is critical to preventing 
future fraud schemes.

SEC. 5. WAIVER.

(a) In General.--The President may waive the limitation under 
section 620(z) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as added by 
section 2, if the President certifies to Congress that prohibiting such 
assistance is contrary to the national security of the United States.
(b) Prior Notification.--Not later than 15 days before the entry 
into effect of a waiver under subsection (a), the President shall 
submit to the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a 
notification of intent to issue such a waiver, along with a 
justification.

SEC. 6. REPORT ON NONCOMPLIANT COUNTRIES.

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, 
and annually thereafter, the Secretary of State shall submit to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate a report that--
(1) lists each country the President determines has failed 
to take all appropriate legal, administrative, or enforcement 
measures as described in section 620(z)(2) of the Foreign 
Assistance Act of 1961 (as added by section 2); and
(2) describes the total amount of fraudulently obtained 
funds and court-ordered remedies, such as recoveries, 
restitution, or fines, along with seizures and forfeitures from 
the United States attributable to the failure to take all such 
measures by each such country.
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