The Trump administration has launched a war against breathtaking levels of fraud costing American taxpayers hundreds of billions of dollars.
On Oct. 15, Vice President JD Vance launched the Pledge to Protect Americans from Fraud.
“Each year, hardworking Americans pay trillions of dollars to fund a system of benefits programs for citizens in need. Unfortunately, this generosity and willingness to help our fellow Americans has been abused and exploited by fraudsters, illegal aliens, and corrupt bureaucrats,” the pledge states.
Sign the pledge below and join us in the War Against Fraud. https://t.co/D4gOSsflbO pic.twitter.com/9l8LBLjZu6
— Vice President JD Vance (@VP) October 15, 2026
A long list of Cabinet members, federal lawmakers, governors, and other officials signed VP Vance’s pledge, including Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, Attorney General Todd Blanche, Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollings, and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.
Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald says fraudsters have no boundaries and will target any individual or program they can.
“This is a fight we cannot lose. The wealth of America is being pillaged by sophisticated criminal actors who view our tax dollars as the easiest dollars to steal. There is no program too noble for a fraudster and no program too compassionate. Fraudsters will take from our elderly, our sick, our children, our hungry,” AAG McDonald asserted.
Last week, the Department of Justice announced a National Tax Enforcement Surge, a brand new initiative involving 35 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices.
TODAY: The Department of Justice announced a new National Tax Enforcement Surge.
This is a brand new initiative involving 35 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and they have identified 70+ defendants and more than $490M in losses in the first 45 days.
Several non-citizens were among… pic.twitter.com/FcorNpW25M
— Wid Lyman (@Wid_Lyman) October 14, 2026
More than 70 defendants and nearly $500 million in losses have been identified in the first 45 days, and several non-citizens are implicated in cases listed thus far.
“More taxpayer dollars go to fraudsters every year than to most federal departments and agencies, including the combined budgets of the Departments of Energy, Justice, and the Interior [roughly $100 billion]. Hundreds of billions of dollars are taken by criminal actors every single year,” AAG McDonald stated.
The administration is utilizing reports of widespread wrongdoing to justify investigations, suspensions of billions of dollars in payments to states, and cancellations of Affordable Care Act (ACA) coverage for hundreds of thousands of people.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz recently explained that ACA cancellations included people who had coverage but hadn’t used it. He also revealed some recipients did not have valid Social Security numbers. Additionally, he noted that ACA enrollment more than doubled from 10 million to 22 million during the COVID era.
“This gentleman, Cory, has a very punchable face,” he stated while highlighting one of the more egregious fraud cases during a recent press conference with VP Vance.
Cory Lloyd was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $180 million in restitution for defrauding the ACA.
“About 35% of current people on the Obamacare system — more than a third — had never used the program. They haven’t bought a prescription medication. They haven’t seen a doctor. That is just not possible,” Dr. Oz said. “So we know there is fraud.”
The problem? Once funds are disbursed by the government, recovering them is near impossible.
“The reality for the American people to know is that when money goes out the door at the front end without strong security protocols preventing it from going to fraudsters at that first step, a lot of that money gets spent. It dissipates,” said AAG McDonald.
This article was written by Border Hawk White House Correspondent Wid Lyman.
