Ohio Senator Goes After Welfare Cash Sent Overseas

Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno is pushing a bill that would bar people receiving federal public assistance from sending money overseas and would hit violators with steep civil penalties. The proposal would require applicants to sign a sworn declaration that they will not make remittance transfers while they are getting benefits. Moreno is framing the measure as a crackdown on what he describes as abuse of taxpayer-funded programs.

How the bill would work

According to the bill text on Congress.gov, the "Stopping Transfers of Public Funds Abroad Act" (S.3746) was introduced in the Senate on January 29 and was read twice before being referred to the Senate Finance Committee. The measure would require anyone applying or reapplying for a covered public-assistance payment to provide a written declaration, under penalty of perjury, that they will not transfer funds through a "remittance transfer" while receiving benefits. The text attaches a civil penalty of $100,000 for violations. The bill uses the remittance definition in the Electronic Fund Transfer Act and says the new requirements would apply to payments made after a date 30 days following enactment.

Senate push and objection

Moreno sought unanimous consent to pass S.3746 on the Senate floor on February 25, but Sen. Ron Wyden objected, according to the Senate's daily press schedule. That single objection was enough to stop the measure from clearing the floor by unanimous consent and left it to proceed through the committee process instead.

Moreno's pitch

On the floor and in conversations with reporters, Moreno has been selling the change as an accountability measure. "If an individual has enough cash to send money overseas, they have no business taking welfare benefits from hardworking Americans," he said, per reporting by WTTE/MyFox28 Columbus. He also told colleagues that "the abuse ends now" as he urged action.

Who would be affected and enforcement questions

Supporters say the rule would stop taxpayer-funded benefits from leaving U.S. shores, while observers warn it could fall hardest on immigrant communities that routinely send remittances to relatives abroad. Coverage by Fox News Digital notes that remittances total tens of billions of dollars annually and that benefits and earned wages are often deposited into the same accounts, a practical complication that could make tracing the source of a transfer difficult.

What happens next

S.3746 will need to clear the Senate Finance Committee before it could reach the floor for a regular vote. Legislative trackers list Moreno as the sponsor and show the bill's referral to Finance after introduction, according to tracking on TrackBill, so committee hearings and stakeholder input will shape whether the measure advances.

Legal questions

The bill's requirement that applicants sign a written declaration under penalty of perjury, along with the $100,000 civil penalty, raises administrative and due-process questions about how violations would be identified and adjudicated. Those enforcement and fairness concerns are among the practical issues flagged in media coverage and by compliance analysts, as detailed in reporting by Fox News Digital.