WASHINGTON – On the 35th Anniversary of the 1986 False Claims Amendments Act, which modernized the Lincoln-era law, Taxpayers Against Fraud, the nation’s leading advocacy organization dedicated to fighting fraud against taxpayers, urged Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee to support the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021, bipartisan taxpayer protection legislation that will soon be considered.
“Thirty five years ago, on October 27, 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the False Claims Amendments Act into law. These amendments breathed new life into the Civil War-era law, turning it into the federal government’s most effective fraud-fighting tool by empowering whistleblowers to combat abuse of taxpayer dollars,” said Jeb White, President & Chief Executive Officer of Taxpayers Against Fraud. “Thanks to the False Claims Amendments Act, the Department of Justice has recovered nearly $70 billion in stolen government funds, and whistleblowers now initiate nearly 80 percent of False Claims Act recoveries.”
The Senate Judiciary Committee will soon consider the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021. “This law is working well, but updates are urgently needed to confront the challenges of modern fraud against the taxpayer,” explained Jeb White. “As expected, the fraud lobby is out in force trying to claw back this critical fraud-fighting tool. Any senator who considers themselves a friend of the taxpayer and against government fraud and waste would support this bipartisan bill meant to clarify the original intent of the law.” The lead sponsors of this bill are Senate Judiciary Chairman Durbin, Ranking Member Grassley and Senators Leahy, Kennedy and Wicker.