Ricketts, Rosen introduce bipartisan bill to increase transparency on improper federal payments

EXCLUSIVE: Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., introduced a bill Wednesday that would require the annual presidential budget to include data on improper payments to federal agencies, taking a page out of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) playbook. 

“When federal agencies waste money, it means less money for essential services, national defense or deficit reduction,” Ricketts, a member of the Senate DOGE Caucus, said. “Transparency brings accountability. My bipartisan bill will highlight where money is being misspent so we can combat waste and save taxpayer dollars.”

The Improper Payments Transparency Act would require the president’s annual budget request to include data on improper payments, which are defined under U.S. law as payments that should not have been made or were made in an incorrect amount. 

The act would require a description of the program on an improper payment report, including an explanation of why the improper payment occurred, data on improper payment trends and a corrective action plan agencies will take to limit improper payments.

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Sens. Pete Ricketts and Jacky Rosen introduced the Improper Payments Transparency Act on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (Getty)

“We owe it to the hardworking people of Nevada to make sure that the federal government is using their tax dollars efficiently and responsibly. Our bipartisan legislation will help to increase transparency and cut down on wasteful government spending. I’ll keep working to clean up Washington and look after American taxpayers’ hard-earned money,” Rosen added. 

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About $2.8 trillion in improper payments have been made since 2003, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimates, with about $236 billion in improper payments in Fiscal Year 2023 and $161.6 billion in improper payments in Fiscal Year 2024. The GAO found in Fiscal Year 2023 that 10 of 24 executive branch agencies required to report improper payments did not fully comply, so the cost of improper payments could be much higher. 

The Improper Payments Transparency Act was named one of the top bipartisan bills for taxpayers on the National Taxpayers Union’s 2024 “No Brainers” List. 

While Republicans have been following Musk’s lead on DOGE initiatives to cut wasteful government funding, Democrats have been calling for more transparency from President Donald Trump’s administration. Ricketts and Rosen’s bipartisan bill, which is independent of DOGE, could be an opportunity for senators to come together on the issue.

Ricketts listens during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., on May 3, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Another DOGE-inspired bill was introduced on the House side on Monday. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., is sponsoring the Payment Integrity Information Reform Act (PIIA) to target overpayments by the federal government. The bill seeks to improve payment integrity laws and target overpayments for social safety net programs. 

Meanwhile, the Senate DOGE Caucus was established in November 2024 by Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., “to identify and eliminate government waste.” The Senate DOGE Caucus is working closely with Musk’s DOGE to promote fiscal responsibility and reduce wasteful federal spending. 

President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk watch the launch of a SpaceX Starship rocket on Nov. 19, 2024, in Brownsville, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

Congress also established the Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency Caucus in the same month to support DOGE through legislative action. Additionally, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., leads the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency for oversight on government efficiency efforts. 

Trump signed an executive order establishing the DOGE on Inauguration Day, directing Musk to lead the federal government’s efforts “to maximize governmental efficiency and productivity.” The Trump administration has since directed government agencies to comply with DOGE’s departmental investigations.

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DOGE’s audits have led to mass layoffs and departures from the federal workforce and slashed federal programs to uncover billions of dollars in savings. Many Democrats have protested Trump’s executive actions as Republicans have typically embraced the federal shake-up. 

Fox News Digital’s Charlie Creitz contributed this report.