The False Claims Act has been on the books since 1863.
Posted by Badlands Media, Checked
- Sources
- 4 support1 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 90%
Badlands MediaOct 21, 2026
The claim is a faithful extraction of the post's phrase 'the book since 1863' (meaning on the books), and multiple primary/official sources confirm the False Claims Act was enacted in 1863; the 'since 1863' framing is affirmed by DOJ and Senator Grassley's Congressional Record statement. The 'on the books' phrasing is casual wording, not a contradiction.
Our two reads of who says this, and how, disagree, so it counts as the post's own claim.
What was said
… So this one, reporters chirping in about what's the difference between this and the whistleblower program you're offering 10% to whistleblowers for turning in what you're i describe it as fraud. 1%, 1%? Okay, that's a actually worse. The False Claims Act, which has been the book since 1863, whistleblowers can get between 10 and 25%. Well, this is our world. Why would someone who has evidence of genuine fraud go to because it's a lot of money, and because when they did that, that's a certain type of crime, but nobody ever thought that you could have stolen 2 trillion dollars, or whatever …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. The DOJ Civil Division states the False Claims Act is a federal statute originally enacted in 1863 in response to defense contractor fraud during the Civil War.[2]
Supports. Senator Grassley's Congressional Record statement says the False Claims Act has been on the books since the Civil War era and was signed into law by President Lincoln in 1863.[3]
Supports. A law-firm commentary states the FCA has been on the books since 1863, and a 2026 press release says it was initially enacted during the Civil War.[1][5]
Context. The statute's current codified text (31 U.S.C. § 3729) reflects later amendments in 1986, 1994, and 2009, but these do not contradict the original 1863 enactment.[4]
Sources
5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 3 primary, 1 not rated
- 1How False Claims Act Recoveries Reflect the Expanding Role of Whistleblowers in Federal Enforcementapnews.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 2Civil Division | The False Claims Actjustice.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 3Congressional Recordcongress.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
- 431 U.S.C. § 3729: False claims - uscode.house.govuscode.house.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 5Alex Hontos | Insights | False Claims Act: New Developments for an Old Lawdorsey.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post