Vice President J.D. Vance kicked off the first meeting of the White House’s anti-fraud task force on Friday by suggesting that theft of billions of dollars in Minnesota may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to defrauding federal programs.
“What we’re seeing in Minneapolis, it is replayed again and again and again across many different states and across many different programs,” Mr. Vance said. “It has to stop. The president of the United States has ordered us to stop it, and that’s what this task force is going to do.”
The task force, which President Trump announced at last month’s State of the Union, aims to reduce government waste by identifying the misuse of federal funds through fraud.
It will create a national strategy against fraud from programs administered by state and local governments that use federal dollars to provide food, housing, medical and financial assistance. It will also create anti-fraud protection, such as requiring proof of identity and audits.
Mr. Trump announced the task force after the discovery of rampant theft from federal programs in Minneapolis.
Prosecutors estimate that as much as $9 billion in federal funds were fraudulently obtained from Minnesota-run social service programs since 2018. More than 100 people, largely Somali immigrants, have been charged with a crime, and about 60 people have been convicted.
Mr. Vance will be joined on the task force by Federal Trade Commissioner Chair Andrew Ferguson, deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and other Cabinet secretaries who attended Friday’s meeting.
The vice president vowed that every federal agency will be responsible for rooting out fraud within its own programs. He said the theft of federal dollars not only enriches fraudsters, but also deprives funds to people with autism or other learning disabilities.
“We’ve got allies across every major significant department, and we are going to stop the fraud that’s being committed against the American people,” Mr. Vance said.
