In its fiscal year 2025 announcement, the DOJ released a comprehensive summary of False Claims Act settlements and judgments that further highlights the statute’s expanding role in federal enforcement. Total FCA settlements and judgments exceeded $6.8 billion in 2025, the highest annual recovery in the Act’s history.

Equally notable was the unprecedented level of whistleblower activity. Qui tam relators filed 1,297 FCA lawsuits in fiscal year 2025, marking the highest number of filings ever recorded in a single year. Of the more than $6.8 billion recovered, over $5.3 billion—more than 75% of total recoveries—resulted from qui tam litigation, underscoring the central role whistleblowers continue to play in FCA enforcement.

These figures come at a particularly consequential moment. The constitutionality of the FCA’s qui tam provisions is currently under consideration by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, placing renewed scrutiny on the statutory mechanism that allows private individuals to bring fraud claims on the government’s behalf. The DOJ’s fiscal year 2025 results provide powerful, data-driven context for that debate.

As the Department’s own numbers demonstrate, whistleblower-driven enforcement is not peripheral—it is foundational. This is especially true at a time when the DOJ, like many federal agencies, faces significant resource constraints. Qui tam actions effectively extend the government’s enforcement reach, allowing potential fraud to be identified, investigated, and litigated in circumstances where government resources alone may be insufficient.

The DOJ’s message was unambiguous. As stated in the press release, “The False Claims Act and its whistleblower provisions are crucial tools for ensuring that public funds are spent properly and in the public interest.” The record-breaking recoveries achieved in 2025 reinforce that conclusion and highlight the continued importance of the FCA’s qui tam framework in safeguarding taxpayer dollars.