We Pay Dead People

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is using the occasion of Halloween to highlight government payments to people who are no longer, shall we say, in the material world.

Ed O'Keefe reports that Coburn issued a report Thursday called "Federal Programs to Die For: American Tax Dollars Sent Six Feet Under," highlighting nearly $1 billion in federal payments to at least 250,000 dead people since 2000. That includes $18 million in economic stimulus checks issued by the Social Security Administration and $15 million in Housing and Urban Development subsidies.

Coburn's staff acknowledged that the findings in the report aren't new, just a compilation of recent data.

President Obama signed legislation earlier this year aimed at cutting down on inappropriate payments by federal agencies.

Update, 10:44 a.m.: Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients weighed in on the issue on OMB's blog this morning, saying "there are few more egregious examples of waste than improper payments," and thanking Coburn for "highlighting this important issue." Zients also listed a series of initiatives the administration has undertaken to curb such payments.