Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, introduced legislation that would require mandatory minimum prison sentences for certain non-citizens and naturalized Americans convicted of stealing federal welfare funds, and would pair those penalties with expanded immigration consequences including expedited deportation in some cases.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced a bill Thursday titled the “Welfare Fraud Deterrence and Recovery Act” that would increase criminal penalties and add immigration-related consequences for certain people convicted of defrauding federal welfare programs.
According to a copy of the proposal described by The Daily Wire, the bill would impose a minimum two-year prison sentence for non-citizens or naturalized U.S. citizens convicted of stealing federal welfare funds, and would raise the mandatory minimum to five years if the amount stolen exceeds $100,000.
The measure would also tie fraud convictions to immigration enforcement. The Daily Wire reported that the bill would make it easier to denaturalize a person convicted of fraud; it would bar reentry for those who are denaturalized; and it would subject non-citizens convicted of fraud to expedited deportation.
Cotton argued the legislation is intended to strengthen consequences for benefit fraud. “Migrants who steal Arkansas taxpayer dollars by committing fraud shouldn’t be let off with just a slap on the wrist,” Cotton told The Daily Wire. “My bill will ensure these criminals face harsher consequences.”
The bill would also create a Fraud Recovery Task Force involving the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, according to The Daily Wire’s description.
Cotton’s proposal comes as the Trump administration has escalated scrutiny of fraud allegations tied to government benefit programs. On January 6, 2026, the Department of Health and Human Services said it froze access to certain funding streams in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York while it reviewed what it called serious concerns about fraud and misuse of taxpayer dollars in state-administered programs. The action applied to the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, and the Social Services Block Grant, HHS said.
The administration’s move has also prompted litigation. A federal judge temporarily blocked the freeze, ordering the government to maintain the status quo for at least 14 days while the case proceeds, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance said the administration is creating a new assistant attorney general position focused on investigating fraud, with an initial emphasis on Minnesota. “To make sure that we prosecute the bad guys and do it as swiftly and efficiently as possible … we are creating a new assistant attorney general position who will have nationwide jurisdiction over the issue of fraud,” Vance said at a White House briefing, adding that the effort would begin in Minnesota but expand nationally.
