Press Releases

Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) today spoke on the House Floor in support of H.R. 7892, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, a simple and common-sense piece of legislation to fight fraud in our federal student aid system.

Chairman Walberg’s remarks, as prepared for delivery:

“This legislation, authored by Rep. Burgess Owens, also includes key provisions from Rep. Glenn 'GT' Thompson’s H.R. 7891, Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026, which further strengthens this important bill.

“Student aid should go to real students. This is a simple—but somehow contested—idea that Republicans are committed to protecting.

“Over the past few years, it’s become increasingly apparent that fraudsters are exploiting federal programs at every level. Instead of helping children get meals or supporting students’ educations, Americans’ tax dollars have been lining criminals’ pockets—helping fraudsters get rich while Americans suffer the consequences.

“On the Committee on Education and Workforce, we’ve been examining this issue closely and working hard to expose the rampant fraud in our federal assistance programs. And while child care and hospice care have dominated the headlines in recent months, our federal student aid programs have also fallen victim to fraud.

“The most pressing threat comes from 'ghost students,' fraudsters who use stolen or synthetic identities to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid—or FAFSA—and steal student aid dollars. These fraudsters commonly operate in foreign or domestic crime rings, submitting large numbers of FASFAs to net huge amounts of cash. And until recently, these schemes were far too often successful.

“This was largely possible because the Biden-Harris administration removed critical, common-sense guardrails during the COVID-19 pandemic that weakened fraud prevention measures and made it easier than ever to loot our federal student aid programs.

“Those foolish policies didn’t help students. In fact, they did the opposite by creating more opportunities for fraudsters and criminals to endlessly exploit federal student aid assistance programs and steal from taxpayers.

“The good news is that under Education Secretary Linda McMahon’s leadership, the Department of Education has made great strides in combatting this fraud—restoring key safeguards, increasing identity screenings, and strengthening verification requirements. As a result, the Department blocked more than $1 billion in attempted fraud in 2025 alone. But these efforts, while effective, are not guaranteed to remain in place under future administrations.

“That’s why Committee Republicans are advancing legislation that not only builds on the Trump administration’s efforts to stop fraud but also puts effective fraud prevention measures where they belong—in law.

“I know we all want to help students pursue an education and attain a degree if they choose to do so. Unfortunately, that opportunity is stolen from students and borrowers when we allow fraud to continue unchecked. H.R. 7892, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, creates an invaluable opportunity to stop this kind of incessant fraud and protect access to higher education."

###