US Vice President JD Vance has announced that an anti-fraud task force is actively working to recover hundreds of billions of dollars stolen through fraudulent small business loans, COVID-19 relief programs, and student aid. Vance made the disclosure during a meeting with state attorneys general on Tuesday, as part of his leadership of the fraud task force.
In just two months, the task force has exposed billions of dollars in benefits that were taken from the American people, Vance stated. He highlighted that over $22 billion in fraudulent small business loans have been referred back to the Treasury for collection. Additionally, more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements from various states, particularly California, were deferred. A six-month hold was placed on new enrollments for hospice and home health care providers due to widespread fraud, with many newer providers not actually offering services but focusing on fraudulent activities.
Vance also noted that $135 billion stolen after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was clawed back, along with $6.3 billion in suspected fraudulent government contracts. The White House press release emphasized that President Donald Trump and Vance are launching an unrelenting assault on fraudsters and corrupt operators who have looted billions from taxpayers. The release listed several alleged fraud cases, many focusing on Minnesota and California, with no Republican-led states cited.
Key Actions and Victories of the Task Force
Below are some of the significant actions taken by the task force to date:
- February 25, 2026: The Trump Administration halted nearly $260 million in Medicaid payments to Minnesota over rampant fraud allegations, demanding full cooperation with federal investigators.
- March 19, 2026: Federal prosecutors charged 11 individuals in a major real estate and loan fraud ring targeting elderly Americans in California.
- March 25, 2026: The administration suspended dozens of high-risk hospice and home health providers in the Los Angeles area.
- March 30, 2026: A new national fraud whistleblower program was launched to empower Americans to expose waste and abuse.
- April 2, 2026: Hundreds of additional high-risk hospice and home health providers across California were suspended.
- April 3, 2026: More than a dozen individuals were charged in a $50 million hospice fraud scheme.
- April 7, 2026: The Department of Justice secured a guilty plea from a California fraudster accused of submitting $270 million in false reimbursement claims.
- April 8, 2026: The DOJ confirmed 8,000 active, ongoing fraud cases, and the task force uncovered $6.3 billion in suspected fraudulent government contracts, launching a sweeping investigation.
- April 15, 2026: The administration suspended 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies in Los Angeles, with estimated fraud exceeding $600 million.
- April 16, 2026: Criminal warrants and administrative charges were served on 20 Minnesota businesses suspected of SNAP fraud.
- April 17, 2026: The DOJ's newly established National Fraud Enforcement Division took enforcement action in schemes totaling over $340 million in its first week.
- April 24, 2026: The Small Business Administration referred 562,000 fraudulent or delinquent pandemic-era loans totaling $22 billion for aggressive collection.
- April 28, 2026: The DOJ conducted targeted enforcement operations at nearly two dozen Minnesota childcare centers suspected of systemic fraud.
- April 30, 2026: The DOJ launched a West Coast Strike Force team targeting healthcare fraud across Arizona, Nevada, and northern California, and the administration deferred an additional $91 million in federal Medicaid funds from non-cooperating Minnesota.
- May 12, 2026: Over 10,000 suspected fraud cases were identified in immigration student work programs.
- May 13, 2026: The administration suspended $1.4 billion in home health and hospice funding nationwide, deferred $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid reimbursements for California, halted all new Medicare enrollments for hospice providers nationwide, launched audits of Medicaid Fraud Control Units in all 50 states, and blocked $60 million in fraudulent student loan applications in just the first month of enhanced screening.
- May 20, 2026: The DOJ charged a Minneapolis daycare owner featured in a viral video.
- May 21, 2026: The DOJ expanded its Health Care Fraud Strike Force program, adding prosecutors to combat Medicaid fraud nationwide, and charged 15 individuals in a wide-ranging Minnesota healthcare fraud scheme, including the highest loss amount ever charged in a Medicaid case in the state and the largest autism fraud scheme ever prosecuted.
