Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department's Do Not Pay system screened more than 1.1 billion federal payments totaling about $3.7 trillion in fiscal 2026 and returned about 13,500 payments worth $175 million that otherwise would have gone to deceased people. That is up sharply from the nearly $100 million flagged in July. Treasury also cited stopping almost $190 million and returning more than $100 million in funds that had gone overseas to U.S. victims, and it ordered an audit of roughly $9 billion in Treasury contracts.
The crackdown follows President Trump's March 2025 executive order on protecting federal payments from fraud, waste, and abuse. The effort was reinforced by the Ending Improper Payments to Deceased People Act, signed into law in February 2026, which made permanent Treasury's access to Social Security death records. Treasury says it is shifting from “pay and chase” recovery toward prevention before money goes out.
Treasury's Do Not Pay system returned $175 million in FY2026 payments tied to deceased recipients — up from about $99 million in July — and expanded Do Not Pay access to 99% of federal programs. Treasury also cited nearly $190 million in stopped overseas fraud and over $100 million returned to U.S. victims.
A federal judge opened a formal inquiry into whether Trump administration officials and Justice Department lawyers misled the court about President Trump's plan to remake East Potomac Golf Links. Judge Ana C. Reyes read D.C. Bar truthfulness rules and has repeatedly questioned the government's candor.
Al Jazeera reported that Pakistan's military spokesperson said Islamabad is “cautiously optimistic” about US-Iran mediation efforts, while warning that “powerful spoilers and detractors” could undermine the process.
Reuters reported that China opposes the US FCC ban on Chinese lab testing and vowed countermeasures if the US presses ahead.
The Guardian reported that men accused of sexually assaulting Joanne Young, whose the
BLet's move on. Axios just posted that a federal judge opened a formal inquiry into whether Trump's Justice Department misled her about a golf course plan.
BThat's East Potomac Golf Links in D.C. The administration wants to remake it.
BJudge Ana Reyes wasn't shy. She read the D.C. Bar truthfulness rules in court.
BThat's a warning shot. If DOJ lawyers signed off on misleading filings, that's serious.
BThe judge hasn't found misconduct. It's an inquiry. But she's clearly skeptical of what she's been told.
BI want to know what specifically they supposedly misled on. Was it a deadline or a factual claim?
BThe reporting says the judge questioned the government's candor repeatedly over the golf plan. That's not minor.
BProcedural candor can be an honest mistake. We're not talking about a criminal matter.
BOh, come on. Lawyers have a duty of candor. A federal judge reading bar rules is not doing it for fun.
BI'm not saying it's nothing. I'm saying let's see the evidence before we hang them.
BFine. But if DOJ got caught playing games with a judge, that undercuts its credibility in every immigration and criminal case it touches.
BAnd for once, this isn't about partisan spin. It's about what a judge saw in the filings.
BNo, it's about whether anyone in the administration understands that courts are not an extension of the campaign.
BMeanwhile, Pakistan is trying to sound hopeful about Iran and the U.S., with a warning attached.
BWhat's the warning?
BIts military spokesman says Islamabad is 'cautiously optimistic' about mediation, but 'powerful spoilers and detractors' could undermine it.
BThat's a diplomat's way of saying don't get comfortable.
BRight. They didn't name the spoilers, but in that neighborhood, everyone suspects Hezbollah, the Houthis, or hardliners in Tehran.
BThe honest take: Pakistan wants a deal because escalation on its border region is a nightmare.
BThey also get to play peacemaker without actually guaranteeing anything.
BWhich is the entire history of Pakistani foreign policy in one sentence.
BAnd on the trade front, China is promising countermeasures over an FCC ban on Chinese lab testing.
BThe FCC says those labs are security risks. China says that's protectionist.
BReuters reports Beijing will retaliate if the U.S. presses ahead. They always say that.
BBut chip and telecom testing is genuinely sensitive. We're not talking about toys.
BNo, we're talking about who gets to certify whether U.S. networks are safe. That's a real lever.
BSo maybe both sides have a point, but Beijing's countermeasure threat is noise until they file.
BExactly. It's a warning, not a trade war.
BUnless they hit U.S. lab companies in China first. Then we'll see how real it is.