WASHINGTON (AP) — 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 U.S. government as they ramp up efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars.
The White House said that under the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, anyone who submits a tip that leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action is eligible to receive up to $30,000, and that the Justice Department will administer the program.
During the announcement, Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. Trump also said he will decide who gets reward money in cases where more than one person claims to have provided the tip.
“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump in the Oval Office with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It'll be a binding arbitration.”
Trump said journalists could participate in the program.
The Republican president has undertaken an aggressive effort to eliminate fraud in government, establishing a task force on the topic in March and putting Vance in charge of it.
Critics have accused Trump and his family of profiting from the presidency through their many business ventures. The White House says Trump acts only with the best interests of the American people in mind.
Vance, who said his work leading the task force is “fun,” said tax dollars are being stolen.
“The president has said it must stop. It is stopping. And if you want to help us stop it, you get to share in the rewards," the vice president said.
The White House had said Trump would 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. But a check was not given to Shirley in the presence of journalists.
The 24-year-old's 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.
Shirley said during the event that fraud robs from poor and needy people.
“When you expose fraud, you help save America,” he said.
In July, 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.
