{"id":2576772,"date":"2026-03-06T06:48:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:48:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legislators-want-trump-to-make-the-treasury-help-redeem-unclaimed-bonds\/"},"modified":"2026-03-06T06:54:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-06T11:54:07","slug":"legislators-want-trump-to-make-the-treasury-help-redeem-unclaimed-bonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/legislators-want-trump-to-make-the-treasury-help-redeem-unclaimed-bonds\/","title":{"rendered":"Legislators want Trump to make the Treasury help redeem unclaimed bonds"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flegislators-want-trump-to-make-the-treasury-help-redeem-unclaimed-bonds%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2576772&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Washington Examiner reports that Americans are owed about $39.2 billion in mature, unredeemed U.S. Savings Bonds, according to a Treasury Department tallied total. Most of these bonds date from the 1980s when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/5-reasons-making-taxpayers-pay-off-student-loans-is-a-rotten-idea\/\" title=\"5 Reasons Making Taxpayers Pay Off Student Loans Is A Rotten Idea\">interest rates<\/a> were higher, though some date back to World War II. Bondholders may never claim them for various reasons\u2014forgetting to redeem,misplacing paper certificates,or heirs not knowing they are entitled after the owner&#8217;s death. Policymakers have sought ways to reconnect owners with their funds by directing Treasury bondholder data to states\u2019 unclaimed-property offices so states can use escheatment to recover funds when no claimant is found. Rep. Ron Estes and Sen. John kennedy introduced the Unclaimed Savings Bond Act in 2021,with companion bills attracting bipartisan support,but they were not voted on. A 2022 provision directed the Treasury to share data with states, but privacy concerns led to regulatory pushback in 2023; after objections from lawmakers and some state officials, the Treasury adopted a final rule. The Treasury\u2019s figures show the unclaimed-bond value rising\u2014from about $29.9 billion in 2021 to $35.4 billion in late 2022, and $39.2 billion today\u2014highlighting the scale of the challenge and the potential payoff if owners or their heirs can be located. proponents, including Kennedy and Estes, hope better coordination with state treasurers and, perhaps, executive action, can finally unlock many of these funds for rightful owners.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Congress attempts a $39 billion return to the public<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2129057\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<\/p>\n<p>Americans are owed $39.2 billion by the federal government, according to a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/treasury-department\/\">Treasury Department<\/a> tabulation. These funds are in the form of mature, unredeemed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/west-virginia-to-pay-people-age-16-35-to-get-covid-19-vaccine\/\" title=\"West Virginia To Pay People Age 16-35 To Get COVID-19 Vaccine\">savings bonds<\/a> that individuals bought but have not claimed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4482449\/trump-gets-the-last-laugh-whca-dinner\/\">Trump gets the last laugh<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4480980\/trump-gamble-operation-epic-fury\/\">Trump&rsquo;s epic gamble on Epic Fury<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/4478983\/iran-ali-khamenei-democracy-transition\/\">Succession, Tehran style<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Most of these bonds date to the 1980s, when investors eagerly snatched up bonds carrying annual <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/interest-rates\/\">interest rates<\/a> topping out at 9%. But some were issued as far back as <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/world-war-ii\/\">World War II<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Individuals do not claim bonds for a host of reasons. In some instances, they simply forget because the bond may not be redeemed for 10, 20, or even 30 years. In other cases, the bond owner may have misplaced their paper certificate and not realized they can still get their payout. Other bondholders have died before cashing in, and their heirs are unaware that they are entitled to stake a claim.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS) speaks on the floor of the House of Representatives at the Capitol in Washington on April 23, 2020. (House Television via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The situation is lamentable because the only party to benefit is the government. United States savings bonds, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/congressional-record\/volume-170\/issue-179\/senate-section\/article\/S6810-2#:~:text=They%20can%20get%20the%20money,I%20yield%20the%20floor.\">notes<\/a> Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA), are &ldquo;not like a regular bond where you get quarterly interest payments. You give your money to the Federal Government. The Federal Government takes your name and address. You get a piece of paper. And at the end of however long of a bond you buy &mdash; say, 20 years &mdash; you get back your principal, plus interest.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>More than six years ago, Rep. Ron Estes (R-KS), a former Kansas state treasurer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sasse-reintroduces-infant-protection-bill\/\" title=\"Sasse Reintroduces Infant Protection Bill\">introduced legislation<\/a> to help reconnect savings bond holders and other rightful claimants. His proposal directed the Treasury to transfer data on who owned what unclaimed bonds to states, which would then use their unclaimed property processes to locate bondholders. When the bondholder or rightful claimant cannot be found, a state can pocket the funds.<\/p>\n<p>The bill stalled, but Congress did appropriate $50 million over <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/116\/plaws\/publ93\/PLAW-116publ93.pdf\">two<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/116\/plaws\/publ260\/PLAW-116publ260.pdf\">years<\/a> to fund the Treasury&rsquo;s effort to digitize its old bond records, which would help connect bonds and bondholders and their heirs.<\/p>\n<p>Undeterred, Estes reintroduced <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/4085\">his bill<\/a> in 2021, which garnered 36 cosponsors. Kennedy introduced <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/senate-bill\/2854\">companion legislation<\/a> in the Senate, which 29 other senators supported. Republicans and Democrats alike supported the Unclaimed Savings Bond Act of 2021, but it was not voted on in either chamber.<\/p>\n<p>Congress seemed to have solved the matter the next year, when Kennedy <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/congressional-record\/volume-170\/issue-179\/senate-section\/article\/S6810-2#:~:text=They%20can%20get%20the%20money,I%20yield%20the%20floor.\">added<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/2617\/text?s=3&amp;r=1\">a provision<\/a> to a larger piece of legislation that directed the Secretary of the Treasury to &ldquo;provide each State, in digital or other electronic form&rdquo; information on bondholders within their states. The law also stated that any state receiving this information was permitted to use it pursuant to its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-rest-of-the-country-is-starting-to-open-their-eyes-major-outlets-confirm-contents-of-hunters-laptop\/\" title=\"\u2018The Rest Of The Country Is Starting To Open Their Eyes\u2019: Major Outlets Confirm Contents Of Hunter\u2019s Laptop\">abandoned property<\/a>, or &ldquo;escheatment,&rdquo; policies.<\/p>\n<p>The hopes of Estes, Kennedy, and other policymakers were dashed in October 2023. Citing concerns about the privacy of U.S. bondholders, the administration of then-President Joe Biden proposed <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2023\/10\/31\/2023-23314\/disclosure-of-records\">a regulation<\/a> that would make it very difficult for states to use the Treasury&rsquo;s bondholder data.<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA), who had taken an interest in the matter, was irate. The rule, he wrote in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/kevinrkosar.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Grassley-Letter-to-OMB-05-03-2024.pdf\">a letter<\/a> to the Administration, &ldquo;would frustrate congressional intent.&rdquo; He fumed that &ldquo;During World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the federal government aggressively marketed U.S. savings bond purchases as both an act of patriotism and a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >smart long-term savings opportunity<\/a>.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>State officials also blasted the proposed rule. An official from Nebraska&rsquo;s unclaimed property office complained, &ldquo;The proposed rule, as it stands, may result in a cumbersome and convoluted procedure that could deter states and bond owners from active participation.&rdquo; Maryland&rsquo;s comptroller agreed, &ldquo;Under the proposed rule, it will be very challenging to promptly and accurately identify bond owners and facilitate the rightful return of funds.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The Treasury Department mostly waved away these concerns when it adopted the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ecfr.gov\/current\/title-31\/subtitle-B\/chapter-II\/subchapter-A\/part-323\">final rule<\/a>. The present policy does not appear to be eroding the financial value of old bonds. Bureau of the Fiscal Service reports pegged the value of unclaimed bonds at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.treasurydirect.gov\/files\/savings-bonds\/mud-executive-order-report.pdf\">$29.9 billion in 2021<\/a>, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/system\/files\/266\/15.-FiscalService-FY2024-BIB.pdf\">$35.4 billion in late 2022<\/a>, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.treasurydirect.gov\/TH\/search-tin\">$39.2 billion today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Kennedy has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/119\/crec\/2025\/12\/17\/171\/213\/CREC-2025-12-17-pt1-PgS8824.pdf\">expressed hope<\/a> that the new crop of Treasury officials brought in by President Donald Trump will straighten things out.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;[W]e are almost home. What now we have to do is get the state treasurers to sign an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Treasury,&rdquo; Kennedy said.<\/p>\n<p>Rep. Estes agrees and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/kevinrkosar.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Estes-letter-to-Trump-MUD-Treasury-09-23-2025.pdf\">has asked<\/a> the president to issue an executive order waiving the existing regulation and directing the Treasury to get these bonds off their books.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/opinion\/4461356\/trump-administration-new-nato-relationship-munich-security-conference\/\"><strong>OPINION: NATO 3.0 IS HERE, AND THAT&rsquo;S A GOOD THING<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The next step right now is to have the Treasury come up with a process for working with state treasurers to turn over the data&hellip; and let the normal state escheatment process work,&rdquo; Estes said in an interview.<\/p>\n<p>The lawmaking and regulatory wrangling have been long and difficult, Estes observed, but it has been worth it because the objective is good: &ldquo;I want to see people get their money back.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><em>Kevin R. Kosar (<\/em><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/kevinrkosar\"><em>@kevinrkosar<\/em><\/a><em>) is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and edits<\/em> <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/understandingcongress.org\/\"><em>UnderstandingCongress.org<\/em><\/a><em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Unclaimed savings bonds total $39B owed to the public<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3532,"featured_media":2576773,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WB.Congress.031126.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[75210,4762,3778,3634,75209],"class_list":["post-2576772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-bond-redemption","tag-legislation","tag-treasury","tag-trump","tag-unclaimed-bonds"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WB.Congress.031126.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3532"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2576772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2576777,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2576772\/revisions\/2576777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2576773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2576772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2576772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2576772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}