Federal Benefits Repatriation Verification Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Representative Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7]
Introduced
Summary
Limits repatriation of federal benefits by noncitizen recipients to $1,000 per year. This bill would create a centralized Treasury Repatriation Verification Database and require real-time checks by banks, remittance services, and federal agencies, and it ties compliance to continued eligibility for federal benefits.
Show full summary
- Noncitizen benefit recipients would face a $1,000 cap on transfers sent abroad in any 12-month period while receiving federal benefits. They must annually certify compliance and failing to certify would make them ineligible for benefits.
- Banks, wire services, mobile payment apps, cryptocurrency exchanges, and informal transfer systems would be required to run real-time checks against the Treasury database and report or block transfers that exceed the limit.
- Federal agencies that run programs like Social Security, SNAP, TANF, Medicaid, federal housing aid, and unemployment insurance would coordinate with Treasury for verification, audits, and enforcement. Treasury could begin building the database and rules now, and the bill sets a two-year delayed effective date to allow implementation.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 2 costs, 1 mixed.
Limits on remittances for noncitizen beneficiaries
If enacted, a noncitizen who receives Federal public benefits would not be allowed to send more than $1,000 total out of the U.S. in any 12-month period while receiving benefits. You would have to certify once a year that you stayed under the limit to keep your benefits. If you violated the limit, agencies could suspend your benefits, declare you ineligible, and recover payments made during the violation. The bill would also define who counts as a covered individual and which programs count as Federal benefits.
Banks and remittance firms must block transfers
If enacted, banks, money service businesses, remittance providers, and cryptocurrency exchanges would have to query the Treasury database before sending money abroad for covered noncitizen benefit recipients. They would report all repatriation transfers and deny any transfer that would push a covered person past the $1,000 yearly limit. Firms that fail to follow the reporting or blocking rules could face civil fines up to $25,000 per violation and larger penalties for willful or repeated violations. These rules would take effect two years after enactment.
Treasury database and agency checks
This bill would direct the Treasury to build a secure national database to track repatriation transfers, identities, running totals, and compliance flags for covered individuals. The database would use encryption, access controls, and audit trails and would follow federal privacy laws. Treasury would give privacy-protected access to federal benefit agencies, state administrators, and covered financial firms, and would coordinate verification checks with benefit agencies. The Treasury would have 12 months to issue the reporting and verification rules and could start building the system immediately, with full effect two years after enactment.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Fischbach, Michelle [R-MN-7]
MN • R
Cosponsors
Stauber
MN • R
Sponsored 4/2/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov