Bill Revoking State-Run Lifeline Eligibility Introduced

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2026 – Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, introduced the “No Lifeline for Dead People Act” on Feb. 26 , following months of commentary from Federal Communications Commissioner Chairman Brendan Carr’s on the “waste, fraud, and abuse” within the federal Lifeline program. 

Ernst’s bill is aimed at eliminating states’ ability to use its own eligibility process in place of federal verification for Lifeline, a Universal Service Fund subsidy program that helps play monthly phone and internet bills for qualifying low-income applicants. 

Lifeline provides $9.25 a month for phone or internet. In 2024, the program cost the USF about $943 million.