Why did Congress enact the False Claims Act?
In introducing amendments to the False Claims Act in 1985, Senator Charles Grassley explained the purpose behind the Act: The government needs help – lots of help – to adequately protect the Treasury against growing and increasingly sophisticated fraud … Part of the solution — something I consider essential to any meaningful improvements in cutting down fraud – is the establishment of a solid partnership between public law enforcers and public taxpayers. The Federal government has a big job on its hands as it attempts to ensure the integrity of the nearly $1 trillion we spend each year on various programs and procurement. That job is simply too big if government officials are working alone. Thus, the False Claims Act is aimed at establishing a law enforcement “partnership” between law enforcement and public taxpayers.
