President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday announced a $25 million program to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the federal government as they ramp up an existing effort to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.
Under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, or WHIP, anyone who submits a tip to fraud.gov that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, according to the White House said. The Justice Department will administer the program, the White House said.
The Republican president has undertaken an aggressive effort to eliminate fraud throughout the government. Trump established a task force on the topic in March and put Vance in charge of it.
Trump said Tuesday afternoon that he would have the ultimate say over who would receive money in exchange for sharing tips about federal government-related fraud, NBC News reported.
“I am going to do something which I think people will like. I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions. In other words, I’ll determine whether or not the person is deserving, and I’ll determine — and I will be very generous. Believe me … we’re not looking to save on that,” Trump said in remarks in the Oval Office.
It is unclear how Trump’s claim that he would make the final decision about award recipients squares with the Justice Department overseeing it, NBC News reported.
Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that his anti-fraud task force is looking into whether Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California and Tim Walz of Minnesota were complicit in Medicare fraud. “We’ve certainly seen reports … that there were fraudulent activities happening in their states and they’re looking the other way.”
During the Oval Office event, Trump was to present a $10,000 check to Nick Shirley, a right-wing influencer who posted a video last year that said members of Minnesota’s Somali community were running fake childcare centers to collect federal subsidies.
The video caught the attention of the Trump administration and conservative activists, though inspectors said the centers were operating as expected. Investigations, searches and arrests followed.
In July, one woman, Fahima Mahamud, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States by submitting inflated reimbursement claims for meals allegedly served to children at her childcare center, according to the Justice Department.
The White House says Mahamud was featured in Shirley’s video.
