JD Vance

Billions of dollars of fraud already uncovered and we're just getting started. More to come.

National Police Week is a time to celebrate the brave men and women who keep our communities safe, but it also serves as a solemn reminder of the incredible sacrifices made every day when our police officers put on their uniforms. I mentioned these individuals in my address at the Capitol, but I wanted to give those who gave their lives in the line of duty their due recognition. First, I want to honor a brave officer from my home state of Ohio who was killed in a cowardly ambush attack in Lorain County. Phillip Wagner was an officer in the local police department, and Marine Corps veteran with a beautiful wife and three precious children. Last July, Officer Wagner and a fellow officer were in their patrol vehicle when a man opened fire on their car. Officer Wagner succumbed to his wounds in the hospital, surrounded by his loved ones. Last August, Officer Suzanne O was mortally wounded in Maui County, Hawaii while responding to reports of an armed and dangerous suspect. Suzanne O was a devoted public servant who was awarded the Certificate of Merit two years prior for her tireless efforts during the 2023 Hawaii wildfires. Officer O gave her life in defense of the people she swore to serve, and her legacy of strength and selflessness will be remembered by her family, loved ones and all Americans. Finally, I want to honor three officers from Pennsylvania’s Northern York County Regional Police Department who were killed in the line of duty last year. Detective Mark Baker, Detective Isaiah Emenheiser, and Detective Sergeant Cody Becker were working to serve an arrest warrant against an armed stalker lying in wait outside a woman's home. These talented, seasoned officers confronted evil face-to-face and were met with a brutal ambush by a coward who took these brave husbands and fathers from their families prematurely. These stories, unfortunately, are not unique. Too many other officers have given their lives protecting their communities. The officers I mentioned are just a few examples of the strength and sacrifice that every officer in our country represents. Under the Trump Administration last year, on-duty law enforcement officer deaths were the lowest they've been in 80 years. That’s a stat I’m extremely proud of. Last year, the murder rate in our country was the lowest it's been in 125 years. That's because of the dedication of our peace officers and the shift in our nation that supports and respects the men and women who keep us safe. Peace and safety in our country comes at a price. It is paid for in the blood of brave individuals who make the ultimate sacrifice defending their communities, and in the tears of fallen officers' families. That is a price Americans should never take for granted, and it is a debt we can never repay. To all of our peace officers, thank you for your service.

If you commit fraud against taxpayers, we're coming for you.

The days of “pay-and-chase” are over. It’s time to PREVENT and PROSECUTE. Stay tuned for more

Alongside aggressive prosecution, the Task Force is preventing fraud before taxpayer money leaves the federal government. Agencies will now pay only when they are confident that a payment is legitimate and lawful. As a result, Trump administration agencies are now establishing fraud indicators and analyzing data to detect patterns of fraud -- things like unreasonable growth, impossible services, and other hallmarks of fraud. When an unacceptable risk of fraud is identified, the money stops. We’re seeing this approach pay dividends already in one of the biggest federal programs: Medicare. @DrOz has identified nearly 800 suspected fraudulent providers of hospice and home health care services and withheld payment for their questionable services. So far we have saved $1.4B in potentially fraudulent payments and have paused enrollment of additional providers while @DrOz roots out other fraudsters in the system. This is an approach that works and will be scaled to other federal programs.

We are ramping up federal prosecutions against fraudsters – not just because American taxpayers deserve justice, but because active enforcement holds fraudsters accountable and deters fraud in the first place. Our message is simple: No fraud is too big or too small to prosecute. If you are defrauding the American taxpayer, we will find you and take you to court. To do so, we established a new Fraud Division at DOJ led by AAG Colin McDonald. In just the last two months, they’ve put fraudsters on notice. They’ve executed 22 search warrants against fraudulent day care centers in Minnesota, including the “Quality Learing Center.” They’ve launched a major crackdown in LA against Medicare fraudsters who stole over $50M. They’ve secured multi-year prison sentences against fraudsters in a $522M health care scheme. We are also ordering the States to hold up their end of the bargain and police fraudsters in the federal programs they oversee. Today, governors in all 50 states were sent letters to use their existing resources to identify and prosecute fraudsters in the Medicaid program.

Our new approach starts will close coordination. We are orchestrating all federal agencies’ anti-fraud efforts from the White House. Rather than haphazard fraud mitigation, the Task Force is focusing agencies’ efforts on target programs where spending is high, but anti-fraud protections are low. We’re already uncovering major fraud scandals across a range of federal programs: Kelly Loeffler has referred $22.B in fraudulent loans for collection. Linda McMahon has identified $1B in fraudulent student loans from “ghost students.” Brooke Rollins has identified 14,000 luxury-car owners receiving SNAP benefits in just one state.

Until President Trump’s inauguration, federal anti-fraud efforts have been defined by a “pay-and-chase” approach: federal agencies like HHS issue payments and then only take steps to identify fraud on the back-end. The federal government might prosecute the alleged fraudsters—but only if the fraud is big enough. It’s a flawed approach that’s predictably exploited. Every year, the United States loses about $250B to fraud but recovers only about $10B. Plain and simple, “pay-and-chase” does not stop fraud.

It’s been almost two months since President Trump took the bold step of officially forming the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. We’ve already uncovered tens of billions of dollars in defrauded taxpayer money, prosecuted dozens of fraudsters, and stopped billions in suspicious payments. And we’re just getting started. So why has it taken the federal government until now to finally tackle fraud? Because Andrew Ferguson and I are taking a new approach. Here’s how.

Under President Trump, we are unleashing the most aggressive federal anti-fraud efforts in American history. We won't rest until we root out every bit of fraud infecting our government and screwing over taxpayers. More coming tomorrow. Stay tuned.

Coach Cignetti and the next generation’s Mendoza brothers gearing up for their weight room sessions this summer. Congratulations to Curt, but I gotta say it, Go Buckeyes!

American Dream doesn’t belong to the highest bidder on Wall Street. It belongs to the American people, who work hard, save up, and play by the rules. I applaud President Trump’s leadership on this issue and urge the House to pass this bill.

Donald J. Trump@realDonaldTrump

As I said at my State of the Union Address on February 25th, the American Dream of Homeownership is under attack. For example, Rachel Wiggins, a mom of two, from Houston, placed bids on 20 homes, and lost all of those bids to gigantic Investment Firms that bypassed inspection, paid all cash, and turned those houses into rentals, stealing away her American Dream — She was devastated! Stories like this are why I signed an Executive Order to ban large Wall Street Investment Firms from buying up single-family homes. Also, in my speech, I called for Congress to save the American Dream of Homeownership, and ban these purchases, PERMANENTLY! Senators Bernie Moreno and Tim Scott have worked to ensure my call becomes a reality, and have a Bill which has passed the Senate with nearly 90 votes. I am asking Congress to pass that Bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which would ensure that homes are for people, not Corporations. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP