JD Vance warns blue state officials could face prison over billion-dollar fraud epidemic
Vice President J.D. Vance Federal investigators are expected to uncover criminal wrongdoing linked to alleged taxpayer-funded benefit fraud in states including California.
Vance told Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany that the administration’s anti-fraud team is investigating whether government officials authorized the alleged scams. He warned that anyone who covered up abuse “should go to jail”.
“I guarantee it’s there [going to] what we did might be a crime [going to] “find it, because there is so much wrong, someone had to know what they were doing,” Vance said in an exclusive interview. “Saturday in America.”
Vance was named chairman of an anti-fraud task force focused on rooting out fraudulent claims in states including California and Minnesota. On Wednesday, the vice president, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Together with Mehmet Öz, he announced that the administration would be postponed. $1.3 billion in federal Medicaid funding to California due to surveillance concerns.
Jd Vance Announces Multi-State Fraud Task Force After Minnesota Scandal
Vice President J.D. Vance speaks at a press conference on anti-fraud initiatives on May 13, 2026, in the India Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC. The Trump administration has warned states that they could lose Medicaid funding if they fail to comply with federal anti-fraud laws.
(Getty Images)
Vance says federal government is shutting down fake care centers and issued 22 subpoenas in connection with alleged fraud in Minneapolis. The task force also announced a six-month freeze on new Medicare enrollment for hospice and home care providers.
He now says government officials who knew about the fraud and failed to act should face the consequences.
“When I hear a report to the Governor saying, ‘Here’s all this fraud,’ and he doesn’t do anything about it, I ask myself, ‘Was anyone in his office involved in criminal wrongdoing? Was anyone in his office involved in criminal wrongdoing?'” Vance said.
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“I [going to] Promise the American people that we will investigate these matters, [going to] research and we [going to] Take this seriously,” Vance added. “Because if there is criminal wrongdoing, then people should go to jail for it.”
Reacting to Vance’s comments, a spokesperson from Governor Gavin Newsom’s office said: Fox News Digital He said California has long been working to root out fraud.
“Fighting against fraud is nothing new for California, which is why Governor Newsom implemented a moratorium on all new hospice provider licenses in 2022 to root out fraud while preventing bad actors from entering the system. We’re pleased to see the Trump administration following California’s lead on this issue after weeks of calling on them to do the same,” a spokesperson for the governor said.
“California welcomes the federal partnership in preventing fraud. If the Trump administration wants to focus on domestic crimes, they don’t need to look far; pardoning fellow criminals and letting bad actors slide has been the flagship of the president’s administration as long as those people donate or vote for him,” the spokesperson added.
Vice President J.D. Vance makes remarks at Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine, May 14, 2026, during a tour promoting the administration’s anti-fraud initiatives.
In posts on X, Newsom’s office also said the governor acknowledged fraud concerns and had previously expressed a willingness to work with federal officials to combat them. In a separate response to Vance on X regarding an alleged fraud operation in the Los Angeles area, Newsom wrote:
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“The Trump Administration, home to the biggest scammers in the world, is trying to blame California for problems with THEIR federal programs. It’s good to see the Feds finally taking fraud in the programs they run seriously…just 15 months after Trump took office.”
On Wednesday, Vance said the task force would send letters asking states to show they are actively combating Medicaid fraud.
“If they don’t Aggressively prosecuting Medicaid fraudWe will shut down money going to anti-fraud units,” Vance warned.
Original article source: JD Vance warns blue state officials could face prison over billion-dollar fraud epidemic
