Unidentified speaker urges wider verification and work requirements for benefits, cites GAO $500 billion estimate

An unidentified speaker at the meeting urged lawmakers to tighten verification and work requirements across public-benefit programs to "stop the fraud, stop the stealing and the abuse of tax dollars." "We have to double down on what we did," the speaker said.

The speaker cited a Government Accountability Office figure in arguing for broader rules: "It's upwards of 500,000,000,000 a year according to GAO," the speaker said, presenting the GAO estimate as justification for further policy changes.

The speaker pointed to provisions in earlier legislation as a model, saying, "And, I think we did a lot of good things in the first bill, by putting verifications and work requirements for able-bodied adults, etcetera, etcetera." The speaker argued those measures should not be limited to a single program. "But we need to do it not just in Medicaid and SNAP, it needs to come it needs to be across the board," the speaker said, calling for program-wide application of verification and work requirements.

The remarks described proposals and priorities rather than formal motions or votes; the transcript does not record any motion, vote or formal directive adopting the changes discussed. Next steps, including whether staff or the committee will draft specific proposals or hold further hearings, were not specified in the transcript.