Jefferson Van Drew
Representative for New Jersey · Republican · United States
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Just a few points here as we go back to the gentleman's conspiracy theory. There is going to be specific need for this and a specific reason for doing it. HIPAA still would exist. The Privacy Act will still be there. Nothing is going to change.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 9576, the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026. For far too long, the Federal Government's approach to fighting fraud has been fractured, slow, ineffective, and buried under layers of unnecessary bureaucracy.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“They don't want to hear from us: Yeah, everything we are doing is good. It is all perfect. Nothing to see there. Don't look into it. It has all been fine. It has all been okay. Mr. Speaker, it hasn't been okay.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I wish I heard that passion when there were all the issues that occurred with President Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, all the issues that occurred with the Steele dossier, all the issues that occurred with the misuse of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, we are going to wrap this up, but let me say that we certainly know that there was a great deal of fraud during the Biden administration. I didn't bring that up.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“We are tracking organized criminal rings, identity thieves, scammers, people who have stolen billions of dollars meant for our most vulnerable Americans. The claim that this creates a sweeping Federal surveillance database is completely and totally false. Data sharing would be highly targeted.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
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“They don't want to hear from us: Yeah, everything we are doing is good. It is all perfect. Nothing to see there. Don't look into it. It has all been fine. It has all been okay. Mr. Speaker, it hasn't been okay. There is a lot of wrong that has been done with these programs--a lot of people who haven't been helped that should be helped, a lot of taxpayers that paid for nothing and got hurt in this, and it should come to an end. To say no, we are just going to do the same stuff, nothing to see there, no big deal; that is wrong. The American public is tired of it. They are sick of it. They are sick to death of it, and they can't afford it. That is why this is a good bill. Mr. Speaker, I would urge everyone, regardless of whatever political party they are, to vote for this piece of legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, the gentleman uses some examples. For one example, gun licenses and permits don't get Federal funds. It is not an issue where Federal funds are flowing to the States at all, so some of what he is saying there is not accurate. Again, in the interest of time, we could go back and forth, but the claim that this creates a sweeping, Federal surveillance database just isn't true. I don't know how many ways I can say it. I am reading from the bill. I think it has been clarified over and over again. I think the gentleman is just attempting to frighten people, and it is just not accurate. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time. {time} 1720”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I have given that clarity. I could go on all night, to be honest with you, I just disagree with you. I believe you are incorrect, but nevertheless, we have to move along. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I will comply--I don't always--but I will comply with the gentleman from Maryland. I am reading right from the bill: ``Limitation on Use. A Federal agency may only use information obtained under this act for law enforcement purposes related to fraud, and may not disclose such information for any unrelated administrative or commercial purpose.'' I am going to read it again. ``A Federal agency may only use information obtained under this act for law enforcement purposes related to fraud, and may not disclose such information for any unrelated administrative or commercial purpose.'' I am complying with the gentleman's request. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Nobody is gathering everybody's Social Security numbers in the country, but when somebody claims, when a vendor claims, that they have given something or provided care or done something and they haven't done it but the American tax dollar goes toward it, that is wrong. Finally, I would say, why do we have an interest in this? It is the right thing to do for the taxpayer. It is the right thing to do for people who are recipients of these programs, but we also have a responsibility as Members of Congress. These are Federal funds, very often, most often, that flow through the States and the States administer. We do have a responsibility to make sure that those funds are being spent properly. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Let me just answer a couple of those things. First of all, that is why we are doing this. We are going to be voting on it in a little while, and it will be up to the Members of Congress to decide what they want to do, number one. Secondly--I am just going to read to you right from the bill--the gentleman is not accurate in what he is saying. {time} 1710 ``Section 3, Information Protection and Privacy Safeguards.'' It is there for everybody to read. ``A, Compliance With Privacy Laws.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“They know that there is a lot of waste and that there is criminality involved. To say there is no need and we are just going to do things the same old way that we have always done them and not make any change, is wrong. We can't do that anymore. We are hurting too many people. We are hurting the taxpayer, and we are hurting the people who should be receiving those benefits. It isn't good enough. If there is nothing to see there and there is nothing to worry about, what are we so concerned about? What are we so concerned about? Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Just a few points here as we go back to the gentleman's conspiracy theory. There is going to be specific need for this and a specific reason for doing it. HIPAA still would exist. The Privacy Act will still be there. Nothing is going to change. It isn't going to be hundreds of millions of--it is nothing like that. What the gentleman is arguing, whether he realizes it or not, is the same old-same old, you know, just to do the same old thing. It is good enough just to go along, what we have now. There is nothing to see there. There is nothing to worry about. There are no problems. Nobody believes that. I know I can't reference the people here watching and listening today, so I won't, but I will reference the American public. They know better. They know that a lot of it is wrong.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Every dollar stolen by a fraudster is a dollar taken away from some senior, child, or family. Antifraud measures protect the integrity of these vital programs, and the PROOF Act is simply a good antifraud measure. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Kiley).”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“If we can really dig into this, it will be shocking to see. We have touched only the tip of the iceberg. It is irresponsible and wrong to block commonsense accountability measures while billions-- not millions, billions--in taxpayer funds disappear into the pockets of criminals. The ranking member from the other side says to read the bill. I agree, read the bill. The text already includes robust protections, proving that their objection is purely political. Again, this is more about politics and less about reality, and more about politics, less about government. True compassion means ensuring that the limited Federal benefits that are so stretched--and it is going to be tough over the next couple of years. We want to make sure that money actually reaches the people who need it.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“This is just a flimsy excuse. The gentleman on the other side of the aisle, my friend, what he is saying is an excuse for inaction and more of the same corruption, more of the same hurt and waste of money. Yes, we should know if a fraudster is charging for children to get care when these children don't exist and aren't there. We should know if a fraudster is claiming to provide medical care to a patient and that patient doesn't exist or the care was never provided. Dammit, they do have a right to know that. If we really want to make change and not just keep talking about change, then we have to have action. That is what this bill represents. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to sponsor this bill. Defending the status quo under the guise of privacy ignores the reality of the rampant fraud that exists.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“We are tracking organized criminal rings, identity thieves, scammers, people who have stolen billions of dollars meant for our most vulnerable Americans. The claim that this creates a sweeping Federal surveillance database is completely and totally false. Data sharing would be highly targeted. It requires an explicit--explicit--written request from the U.S. Attorney General for the purpose of investigating and prosecuting crime. The legislation explicitly mandates full compliance--yes, read it. It is in there. It mandates full compliance with the Privacy Act of 1974 and with HIPAA regulations. The Federal Government cannot and will not simply hoard this data, as was suggested. The bill requires strict encryption, tightly restricted access, and permanent destruction of shared records once an investigation concludes.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I think constituents are tired of being taken advantage of by fraudsters, crooks, and people who are actually hurting the very people who are supposed to get the money to make it better, to try to help them, whether it is TANF, Medicaid, COVID funding, all of these different areas. We found some, and the States wouldn't cooperate in certain cases. I would maintain that more of it was political than anything else, and it was wrong. Do you know what constituents don't like? They don't like when State governments and the Federal Government stupidly can't talk to each other to try to stop fraud and corruption. That is what they don't like. This PROOF Act doesn't build a surveillance state. That is nonsense. It builds a shield for the taxpayer. They are not tracking law-abiding citizens. That is complete nonsense, too.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Mr. Speaker, I want to answer a few of those thoughts that were put out. I know the gentleman from Maryland is proposing a conspiracy theory here that somebody is trying to get everybody's sensitive information, the Social Security numbers of good Americans across the country. Nothing could be further from the truth. He also says that constituents won't like this. Do you know what I know constituents don't like? They don't like getting ripped off. I know constituents are tired of working so hard and seeing their tax dollars completely wasted and going down the drain.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“It makes clear that this data can only be used for fraud investigations, and it includes a mandatory data destruction clause requiring the DOJ to permanently purge and delete these records when an investigation or legal proceeding concludes. Madam Speaker, if you are a law-abiding American citizen, then your privacy is protected. However, if you are a fraudster, if you are a crook, if you are a criminal, or if you are a rip-off artist ripping off the public, then your hiding spot is gone. The PROOF Act is a commonsense, vital shield for taxpayer dollars. It ensures that public funds actually go as they should, to infrastructure, to communities, and to families that truly need them. Madam Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this bill, and I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Crucially, this legislation builds directly off the powerful antifraud foundation already laid by the administration. {time} 1640 Earlier this year, the administration established a National Fraud Enforcement Division and launched a National Fraud Detection Center to centralize and aggressively target high-impact fraud schemes. This bill ensures that Congress enables the administration--any administration--to have a whole-of-government crackdown on government waste go directly into law. Madam Speaker, I would tell my colleagues who may be concerned about privacy to read the bill. It is clear. The legislation establishes ironclad, statutory legal guide rails. It explicitly mandates compliance with the Privacy Act and HIPAA.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Sophisticated fraud rings intentionally scatter their operations across State lines because they know individual State databases do not talk to each other, and they also know they can hide behind local bureaucratic red tape. We saw this exact crisis play out in Minnesota, where the Department of Justice and the United States Department of Agriculture uncovered massive, multimillion dollar retail SNAP fraud rings. The State administration actively resisted handing over the necessary applicant and disbursement data, calling the Federal request unprecedented. When Federal oversight agencies demanded daycare attendance logs to stop corrupt providers from billing for kids who actually didn't attend the center, they were denied the request.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 10326, the Preventing Rip-offs and Obtaining Oversight of Funds Act, otherwise known as the PROOF Act. For years and years, the American taxpayer has been treated like an open ATM machine by sophisticated criminal syndicates, international fraudsters, and identity thieves. Billions of dollars intended for our most vulnerable citizens, for our children, for the hungry, and for the unemployed have, instead, been stolen by criminals. The tragedy isn't just that the money was stolen. The tragedy is that Federal law enforcement didn't have sufficient tools to stop it.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 10326.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Van Drew) and the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Raskin) each will control 30 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey. General Leave”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1530, I call up the bill (H.R. 10326) to enhance information-sharing capabilities between Federal law enforcement and State agencies to detect, investigate, and prosecute fraud in certain Federal programs, and to protect individual privacy, and ask for its immediate consideration in the House.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“I am here today to ask that Republicans and Democrats come together and do the right thing, and I urge them to support H.R. 9576. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. I wish I heard that passion when there were all the issues that occurred with President Biden and his son, Hunter Biden, all the issues that occurred with the Steele dossier, all the issues that occurred with the misuse of the Attorney General and the Department of Justice. The list goes on and on. I wish that passion that the gentleman from Maryland has right here and right now about all the issues he mentioned that don't deal with this legislation, I wish he had that in the previous 4 years. I wish he had that moral anger. I wish he was as focused then as he is now, but I didn't hear anything, including barely anything on the Epstein files. I could go on and on, too. I could talk about all of those things, the illegal gun Hunter Biden--I am not going to go into it.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I urge everyone on both sides of the aisle to vote for this legislation to reduce the fraud that existed for so many years. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, we are going to wrap this up, but let me say that we certainly know that there was a great deal of fraud during the Biden administration. I didn't bring that up. I could give example after example of what has happened in agencies and different State programs and Federal programs. It is terrible, and it hurts people. The purpose here today is to move forward, and the purpose here today is to support this legislation. I am glad that the gentleman from Maryland is begrudgingly supporting it but supporting it nevertheless. He is using his time in a political sense to display an entirely political argument about numbers of individuals and situations that have nothing to do with this legislation, but it is his right to use his time the way he wants to.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“We don't know that anything, quite frankly, that my good friend from the other side of the aisle is saying is accurate. What we are prepared to discuss today is trying to do legislation to take care of a problem that we all have to admit we know exists, and it is a serious problem. It is almost in every major city and other areas, as well, in the United States of America. It is costing taxpayer dollars. The victims are the people who should be receiving the help from these programs, and they are not, often because so much of the money is wasted. It is a shame, so let's do the right thing today. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, the gentleman has his numbers. He has his vision. He has his partisan ideas. That is up to him, but I am trying to point out today--and I am going to continue to say this. We are trying to codify a division. We are trying to take something that is, right now, just an executive order and make it law to help the people who are right here in the gallery, right now, listening, who are wondering how their government works, wondering why, when they are here to witness a discussion and a debate about a bill. Whether for it or against it, whether it has value or not, we are getting into a host of other people and other ideas. By the way, we don't know that the numbers are accurate. We don't know that the names are accurate.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“When fraudsters and crooks and corrupt individuals rape these systems, it hurts everyone and it hurts especially the most vulnerable. I take issue with that. Madam Speaker, I would love if we could stick to this legislation and do the good work of government. It is not about Donald Trump. It is not about Pete Hegseth. It is not about Tom Massie. It is not about a political debate. This is government now, and we should stick to doing the work of government in trying to help our people. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. Kim).”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“The people who are listening here, Madam Speaker, the people who are watching, are getting tired of it. They are getting tired of all the money that has been wasted. Then for the gentleman to try and pretend that just a couple of years ago everything was perfect, everything was taken care of and that there was no corruption, we know better. There has been a great deal of abuse in many of these programs in the Federal Government, and it is wrong. It is wrong because people work too hard and they work too much to have to put up with that. It is wrong because it just is something that shouldn't be in modern America. It is wrong because we can do better than that. Finally, it is wrong because it is hurting the very people who depend on those programs that supposedly everybody cares about so much.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I enjoy the gentleman on the other side of the aisle. He is a very able speaker. He is articulate. He is eloquent, but he is losing the point here. I say this because we are here to focus on a piece of legislation. I have the honor of being on the Judiciary Committee, and often it occurs there, too, where we get into a political diatribe, a political discussion. Today, right now, the conversation we are having here in this formal sense on the floor of the House of the United States Government--this conversation is about a piece of legislation. It is about a piece of legislation that we want to be enacted into law. It is not a partisan initiative. It is a permanent, nonpartisan commitment that we do something better.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“We must protect the integrity of our Federal programs, and we must honor our duty to the hardworking citizens of America who fund our government. By codifying this division, we guarantee that the aggressive fight against government waste, fraud, and abuse, which we hear so much about, will continue unabated, regardless of who occupies the White House and regardless of what whatever political party they are. I thank the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Finstad) for his leadership on this essential legislation, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 9576. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Earlier this year, the administration took decisive action by establishing the National Fraud Enforcement Division to centralize Federal efforts against multi-jurisdictional fraud. The results of this dedicated focus have been immediate and, I believe, undeniable. In July, the National Fraud Enforcement Division announced a series of significant fraud enforcement actions across the southeastern United States of America. The charges announced encompass 17 cases, spanning 7 States. These cases involve over $350 million in intended losses and include cases involving SNAP benefits, Small Business Administration loans, housing benefits, and tax fraud. As impressive as those results are, administrative action can be reversed easily with the stroke of a pen. That is why H.R. 9576 is so very vital.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 9576, the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026. For far too long, the Federal Government's approach to fighting fraud has been fractured, slow, ineffective, and buried under layers of unnecessary bureaucracy. For years, complex fraud investigations were treated as just another item on the lengthy to-do list of the Department of Justice's overextended Criminal Division. Because there was no single dedicated division at Main Justice waking up every single day with the sole mission of protecting the public, sophisticated syndicates operated with relative impunity, treating American taxpayers and their dollars like it was their own personal piggy bank. Madam Speaker, that era of bureaucratic neglect should be over.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 9576.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“Madam Speaker, pursuant to House Resolution 1530, I call up the bill (H.R. 9576) to establish the National Fraud Enforcement Division of the Department of Justice, and ask for its immediate consideration.”
House of Representatives16 September 2026Source ↗
“The extreme position is using America's banks to build a permanent list to track who people worship, what they read, and what constitutional rights they happen to choose to exercise. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote for privacy, freedom, and the Constitution of the United States of America.”
House of Representatives14 July 2026Source ↗
“They refused to honor ICE's detainer request for the man responsible for setting another human being on fire. Our immigration laws have to be upheld. Failure to do so is why Laken Riley is not alive today. It is why Washington State Trooper Christopher Gadd's family will never see him. His children and his wife will never know him anymore. He is gone. It is why, when Laken Riley struggled for almost a half hour, when she was beaten, when she was disfigured, when her head and skull was crushed, that we can't bring her back. We can't bring her life back. I don't want to hear about all this other political stuff. I don't think the American people do. They want an answer.”
House of Representatives22 January 2025Source ↗
“She was 16 years old, and her life was snuffed out. That is never okay. Laken Riley fought for her life. You hear about her last 20 minutes on this Earth. She fought, and she fought with everything she had. She didn't want to be raped. She didn't want to be brutalized. I don't want to curse here.”
House of Representatives7 January 2025Source ↗