Zain Khan

Sen Joni Ernst (R-IA) 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. 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.