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New bill targets CA’s ‘Obamaphone Fraud’ after state collected millions for dead people’s phone, internet service
NY Post ^ | 2/26/26 | Zain Khan

Posted on 02/26/2026 5:50:09 PM PST by Libloather

A federal lawmaker introduced legislation Thursday aimed at cracking down on alleged fraud within a federal program that paid for dead people’s phone and internet service.

Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is targeting the federal Lifeline program, which subsidizes the services for low-income Americans, after California was accused of taking in $3.8 million between 2020 and 2025 to cover the costs for 94,000 dead people.

“While Californians are taxed to the grave and back, its governor especially can’t pass the buck when the state is allowing providers to enroll dead people in a federal program,” Ernst told The Post.

A U.S. senator from Iowa introduced legislation Thursday aimed at cracking down on alleged fraud within the federal Lifeline program, accusing certain states, including California, of sidestepping federal safeguards meant to prevent abuse.

“While blue states are turning a blind eye to festering fraud, I’m working to stop it dead in its tracks,” Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa, exclusively told The Post. “Lifeline – aka Obamaphone – is a grim reaper of a program that has funneled nearly $5 million worth of taxpayer funds to almost 117,000 deceased subscribers.”

The legislation, titled the “No Lifeline for Dead People Act,” would require all telecommunications carriers to use the federal government’s National Verifier system to confirm a recipient’s eligibility before enrolling them in the program. The bill would effectively eliminate the ability of states to rely on their own eligibility systems in place of the federal verification process.

The federal Lifeline program subsidizes phone and internet service for low-income households.

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Conspiracy; History; Local News
KEYWORDS: california; californiacorruption; corruption; crackifornia; dead; democratcorruption; demokkkraps; fraud; hairgelhitlerfraud; highspeedfraud; highspeedrail; obama; obamanation; obamaphone; palisadesfraud; pelosicrimefamily; phone

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Dead people pay off.
1 posted on 02/26/2026 5:50:09 PM PST by Libloather
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To: Libloather

“aimed at cracking down on alleged fraud within a federal program”

Yawn. How about closing the whole damn corrupt program down along with 100 other programs for starters.

Our criminal Congress adds over $6 billion of permanent debt on the $40 trillion national debt, EVERY DAY.


2 posted on 02/26/2026 5:56:56 PM PST by quantim (Victory is not relative, it is absolute.)
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To: Libloather

It “would require all telecommunications carriers to use the federal government’s National Verifier system to confirm a recipient’s eligibility before enrolling them in the program.”

Seems like it should have been done all along. SMH


3 posted on 02/26/2026 6:02:04 PM PST by HollyB
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To: Libloather

Where there’s a buck to be had, there’s always a way.


4 posted on 02/26/2026 6:03:04 PM PST by Terry L Smith
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To: HollyB

Is this Obamaphone program the same as LifeLine?

Asking for a relative that lives in California.


5 posted on 02/26/2026 6:04:00 PM PST by WildHighlander57 ((the more you tighten your grip, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.) )
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To: Libloather

“subsidizes phone and internet service for low-income households.”

Better yet, why the HELL are we paying such subsidies in the first place. Stop them entirely! If you are poor and can’t get a phone or internet, tough noogies. It’s not our problem.


6 posted on 02/26/2026 6:04:24 PM PST by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Libloather

Nibbling at the edges of massive fraud.


7 posted on 02/26/2026 6:05:47 PM PST by glorgau
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To: Libloather

How about passing the SAVE act or is the pony show tomorrow? Can’t hate these scumbags enough.


8 posted on 02/26/2026 6:05:53 PM PST by HYPOCRACY (Wake up, smell the cat food in your bank account. )
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To: Libloather

These people are evil, but I have to (almost) admire their cunningness. How do they THINK of these work-arounds to enrich themselves? I never could come up with those kinds of schemes. (Maybe I have a low IQ? LOL!)


9 posted on 02/26/2026 6:05:59 PM PST by MayflowerMadam ( "Trouble knocked at the door, but, hearing laughter, hurried away". - B. Franklin)
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To: Libloather
They voted, why shouldn't they call. Or at least text.

Need some oui-mo-jis for smiley faces and such.

10 posted on 02/26/2026 6:11:40 PM PST by KarlInOhio (Dept. of Education should teach about Nietzsche: DOGE didn't kill it and now it's stronger than ever)
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To: Libloather

Isn’t anyone interested in finding out with whom the dead are communicating?

Perhaps ZEEPERS and French Canadians?


11 posted on 02/26/2026 6:14:15 PM PST by House Atreides (I’m now ULTRA-MAGA-PRO-MA)
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To: Libloather

Still voting, too.


12 posted on 02/26/2026 6:17:55 PM PST by blackdog (The philosophy of the schoolroom in one generation will be the philosophy of government in the next.)
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To: Libloather
"New bill targets CA’s ‘Obamaphone Fraud’ after state collected millions for dead people’s phone, internet service"


13 posted on 02/26/2026 6:27:27 PM PST by clearcarbon (Fraudulent elections have consequences.)
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To: WildHighlander57

Do you live in California?

Asking for a relative that lives in California.


14 posted on 02/26/2026 6:35:59 PM PST by TexasGator (11.X11111.1~I11:/)
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To: Libloather

> a federal program that paid for dead people’s phone and internet service <

Sometimes I’m amazed at how high the federal debt is.

And sometimes I’m amazed that it’s not even higher.


15 posted on 02/26/2026 6:43:15 PM PST by Leaning Right (It's morning in America. Again.)
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To: Libloather

Everybody in Cleveland got 0bamaphone too. You food stamps, you social security, you low income, you dead, you got a phone!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAOwJvTOio


16 posted on 02/26/2026 6:45:05 PM PST by ViLaLuz (2 Chronicles 7:14)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom

I am a letter carrier in a small town. Drug dealers would use them for burner phones. Some people would get a new one every six months or so, get a free phone and sell it or trade it for $20 or $30 or trade for weed. I knew it was going to be a scam 5 seconds after the bill was past.


17 posted on 02/26/2026 6:50:27 PM PST by Ponyexpress9790 (Every one that votes democrat is your enemy, there is no co-existing with traitors and terrorists. )
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To: Libloather

State collected the money for bogus accounts but is pretty sure that that monney was “disbursed” and did not go into the state treasury.


18 posted on 02/26/2026 7:31:27 PM PST by arthurus (l| covfeve |l cix)
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To: ProtectOurFreedom
...why the HELL are we paying such subsidies in the first place.

It's a tracking device and for monitoring their conversations. Many of these users live in the open air prison/reservation/insane asylums called Democrat cities.

19 posted on 02/26/2026 7:49:05 PM PST by T.B. Yoits
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To: House Atreides
Isn’t anyone interested in finding out with whom the dead are communicating?

One of the main classifications of the dead communicating is with all of the bureaucrats involved in "counting the votes."

After all, "every vote must count!"

If there is a phone number, there must be a Voter connected to that number.

The DMV has Motor Voter.

What shall we call the Obamaphone voters?

Cell Voters?

Every Cell Vote Counts?

20 posted on 02/26/2026 8:18:58 PM PST by Ronaldus Magnus III (Do, or do not, there is no try. )
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