President Donald Trump announced the creation of a task force to fight fraud across the country Monday, following the administration’s focus on Minnesota, which is grappling with widespread fraud in its social services programs.
Vice President JD Vance will chair the task force and Andrew Ferguson, the chair of the Federal Trade Commission, will be the task force’s vice chair.
“What this executive order does is force the entire apparatus of the federal government to do two things: Stop the fraud of the American taxpayer and make sure that the benefits that ought by right go to American citizens, go to American citizens, and not to fraudsters,” Vance said during a White House event announcing the creation of the task force via an executive order.
In announcing the task force, Trump repeated the unfounded claim that fraud has reached $19 billion in Minnesota. He also zeroed in on the state’s Somali community and blamed Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Rep. Ilhan Omar for being “complicit” in the state’s fraud crisis.
“If they are (complicit), you’re going to hopefully find out about it, and you’re going to … have to do what you have to,” Trump said.
The group will report to Trump and will be tasked with putting together a “national strategy to stop fraud” in federal benefits programs, including programs that are administered jointly with state, local and tribal partners, according to the White House.
The task force will put forth measures that aim to improve the eligibility verification processes for federal benefits programs and that maximize enforcement of eligibility requirements. The group will also work to “disrupt and dismantle” fraud networks and facilitators.
“If we found half of the fraud that’s taking place in this country … we would have much more than a balanced budget,” Trump said Monday. “That’s the kind of numbers you’re talking about. The theft is incredible.”
Officials from at least 11 agencies, including the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, Health and Human Services, and Treasury will sit on the task force and be responsible for recommending ways in which federal funds can be withheld from jurisdictions “that do not have adequate anti-fraud requirements,” the White House said.
The creation of the task force comes several weeks after the Trump administration announced the wind down of Operation Metro Surge, an immigration crackdown on Minnesota that federal officials said sought to weed out fraud.
Trump first mentioned Vance would lead his administration’s “war on fraud” during his State of the Union address last month. The next day, Vance and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz announced that the federal government would halt $259 million in Medicaid payments to Minnesota over concerns of fraud.
Asked Monday to provide an update on the administration’s Medicaid funding halt, Vance did not immediately give details, but he said that Oz “is looking to try to work with the authorities in Minnesota try to figure that situation out.”
Walz could not immediately be reached for comment on the announcement of the task force or Trump’s critique of his administration. Omar could also not immediately be reached.
In a statement, Ellison talked about how his office has convicted more than 300 people of Medicaid fraud and recovered more than $80 million in stolen funding.
“I hate when people steal from programs meant to provide healthcare to low-income Minnesotans, and I’ll continue doing everything in my power to hold fraudsters accountable,” Ellison said in a statement. “If Donald Trump actually cared about fraud, he’d stop pardoning so many fraudsters, stop politicizing the issue, and start working with leaders from both parties to actually solve problems.”
Minnesota Republican Reps. Tom Emmer and Pete Stauber applauded the creation of the task force.
“Thank you, (Trump),” Emmer said on X. “Minnesota is ground-zero for fraud, and we’re thankful that (Vance) will lead the way to root it ALL out in my home state and beyond.”
