House passes bill to write Justice Department's fraud division into law, 352–72
The U.S. House of Representatives on September 16, 2026 passed a bill to establish the National Fraud Enforcement Division of the Department of Justice in federal law. The House passed H.R. 9576, the National Fraud Enforcement Division Act of 2026, by a vote of 352 to 72. The measure provides statutory authority for the National Fraud Enforcement Division within the Justice Department — a division that investigates and prosecutes fraud against taxpayer dollars and taxpayer-funded programs, and which the department established in April 2026. Under the bill, the division is created under the authority of the Attorney General and headed by an Assistant Attorney General for National Fraud Enforcement designated by the President, and the division is added to a provision of federal law that restricts political activity by certain Justice Department employees.
The bill's sponsor, Representative Brad Finstad of Minnesota, and its floor manager, Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, framed it as making a temporary executive-branch structure permanent. Van Drew said that for “far too long” the federal government's approach to fighting fraud had been “fractured, slow, ineffective,” and said the bill codifies the division into statutory law so it “becomes a permanent fixture of our justice system” regardless of who holds the White House.
The bill drew qualified support and pointed criticism from Democrats. Representative Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the ranking Democrat managing the debate, said he would “rise in tepid support of this bill simply codifying the National Fraud Enforcement Division,” noting that the Justice Department's Criminal Division has had a fraud section for more than 70 years. Raskin said he agreed with the bill and would vote for it, but said he did not “just want a new sign on the door,” and used much of his time to criticize the administration's record on prosecuting fraud and its pardons of people convicted of fraud.
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
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