Feenstra Votes to Hold Criminals Accountable for COVID-era Unemployment Fraud

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) voted for, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed, the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act, which would extend the statute of limitations from 5 years to 10 years for prosecuting COVID-era pandemic unemployment insurance fraud.

The current statute of limitations is set to expire on March 27^th, 2025.

“Criminals who actively defrauded the American taxpayer and stole unemployment benefits from those in need during the COVID pandemic must be held accountable for their actions. These fraudsters robbed more than $100 billion of taxpayer dollars without any remorse. It’s shameful and unacceptable,” said Rep. Feenstra. “I voted for the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act so that we can extend the statute of limitations – which is set to expire on March 27^th of this year – by five years to punish these lawbreakers and recover as much of the stolen money as possible. I will not tolerate criminals who steal taxpayer dollars, and this commonsense legislation will help ensure that those who defrauded the government are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has estimated anywhere between $100 billion and $135 billion in unemployment insurance benefits were lost to fraud during the COVID pandemic, yet only $5 billion has been recovered, or less than 4%.

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