# 119-s-3643: Special Inspector General for Program Fraud Act

119-s-3643, Special Inspector General for Program Fraud Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO] (R-MO); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-12).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3643
- As of: 2026-08-12
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-3643
- Congress: 119
- Title: Special Inspector General for Program Fraud Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-01-14
- Sponsor: Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO] (R-MO)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-12

## Summary

**Independent Office of the Special Inspector General for Program Fraud** would create a standalone watchdog to detect and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in federally funded child assistance programs. It would audit and investigate how child care and child nutrition funds are used and report problems and corrective actions to agencies and Congress. - Families and children: Aims to protect child assistance dollars so more federal funds reach programs that serve children rather than being lost to fraud or overpayments. - Federal agencies (HHS, USDA, and others): Must provide office space and information and may not block the IG from initiating or completing audits, investigations, or issuing subpoenas. - Contractors, grantees, and federal employees: Face closer review of major contracts, transfers, and payments and possible investigations with referrals to the Department of Justice. - Congress and the public: Receives quarterly reports with detailed accounting of obligations, expenditures, major contracts, and related justifications; reports are posted publicly with agency comments. *This bill would authorize $10 million for each of fiscal years 2026 and 2027, increasing federal spending by $20 million over that period.*

## Cosponsors (1)

- Sen. McCormick, David [R-PA] (R-PA), 2026-08-07T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Agencies must support child-aid oversight: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would require HHS, USDA, and other covered agencies to give the Inspector General office space, equipment, and assistance for audits and investigations when lawful and practicable. If information or help is unreasonably refused, the Inspector General would report that refusal t…
- New watchdog for child assistance funds: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would create an independent Office of the Special Inspector General for Program Fraud to oversee federally funded child care and child nutrition money. The Inspector General would have authority to audit, investigate, issue subpoenas, and refer suspected crimes to the Departmen…
- Staffing and pay limits for watchdog: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would let the Inspector General hire staff under competitive civil service rules and use certain temporary appointment authorities until the office ends. The Inspector General could hire contractors and obtain services for audits and studies consistent with law. The bill would…

## Related bills

- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025
- 119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-s-226: No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act
- 119-s-3752: SAVE America Act
- 119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act

## Sources
- [119-s-3643 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3643)

## Related
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-292: Educational Choice for Children Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-292)
- [119-s-554: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-554)
- [119-s-226: No Tax Dollars for Terrorists Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-226)
- [119-s-3752: SAVE America Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3752)
- [119-s-401: Fair Access to Banking Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-401)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3643 (as of 2026-08-12).