“The task of tracking deaths for the federal bureaucracy is an enormous one; about 2.5 million Americans die each year. Federal officials say the vast majority of these cases are handled correctly: The death is recorded. Government money is no longer sent to that person. But not always.”

American journalist

David Fahrenthold is an American journalist who writes for The New York Times. He was previously a reporter for The Washington Post and has also worked as a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. He won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting in 2017 for his coverage of Donald Trump and questions around Trump’s claimed charitable giving, including reporting tied to the 2016 United States presidential election. His work is associated with political reporting and scrutiny of public claims.