Sen. Ashley Moody introduces bills to crack down on childcare fraud

FIRST ON FOX: Florida Republican Senator Ashley Moody has introduced two bills following the Trump administration’s crackdown on fraud, waste and abuse to protect America’s youngest and oldest, Fox News Digital has learned.

“I have fought fraud since my days as Attorney General and continued that fight as a Senator. [attorney general] Speaking to Fox News Digital, Sen. Moody made me aware of the prevalence of schemes and strengthened my resolve to hold fraudsters accountable. “It has also opened my eyes to where there are gaps between state and federal law enforcement. I am closing that divide and introducing targeted legislation to address gaps in current law that make it easier for bad actors to exploit vulnerable citizens and programs.”

The proposals follow growing interest in fighting fraud in Washington, as the Trump administration moves to strengthen oversight of federal spending and public assistance programs. Moody’s two bills would strengthen anti-fraud measures in child care programs and help law enforcement go after scammers who prey on seniors.

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The Stop Child Fraud Act aims to strengthen federal oversight of child care programs by requiring states to improve program integrity measures, provide corrective action plans if payment error rates exceed 5%, and increase federal monitoring of high-risk states.

The bill would require states to detail internal controls, fraud investigation and recovery processes, sanctions against fraudulent customers or providers, and procedures to verify compliance.

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FBI and law enforcement agents raided the Mini Nursery in south Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 28, 2026. (Anthony Sofle/Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)

It also permanently bans people convicted of child care fraud from participating in certain federal child care programs.

The move comes amid increased focus on large-scale fraud cases, including Minnesota’s $250 million “Feeding Our Future” scheme, which became a national flashpoint after being uncovered in 2022 and led to a wave of convictions in recent years.

Federal agents executed search warrants last month at several day care and autism centers in Minnesota to investigate “bogus” facilities that allegedly received federal money.

Moody also introduced a second fraud bill, the STOP Elder Scams Act, which would help states create elder justice task forces to coordinate investigations into financial exploitation, fraud and fraud targeting Americans 60 and older.

The bill encourages states to go after fraudsters through federal grant money to create task forces.

The task forces will work closely with state and local police departments, the FBI, the Department of Justice and other federal law enforcement agencies.

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Vice President J.D. Vance is joined by White House deputy chief of staff and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chairman Andrew Ferguson during a roundtable discussion on anti-fraud initiatives on May 26, 2026 in Washington, DC. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

The program also requires reporting on the number of cases opened and completed, the number of victims assisted, types of fraud identified, methods used to contact victims, and indicators of organized or transnational crime involvement.