President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, placing Vice President J.D. Vance at the helm of a sweeping, government-wide effort to root out waste and abuse in federally funded benefit programs across the country.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the signing Monday, confirming that Vance would chair the new task force charged with investigating fraud nationwide.
The task force operates within the Executive Office of the President, with the Vice President serving as chairman.
Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson will serve as vice chairman of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, presiding over the body at the direction of the chairman or in his absence.
The Assistant to the President for Homeland Security will serve as senior adviser to the task force.That role is filled by White House aide Stephen Miller.
The task force will coordinate and accelerate a comprehensive national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse within federal benefit programs, including programs administered jointly with state, local, tribal and other government entities.
The executive order calls for anti-fraud requirements that include screening, proof of identity, and eligibility verification, as well as pre-payment integrity and risk controls, including documentation requirements concerning services provided.
A spokesperson for Vice President Vance released a statement underscoring the severity of the problem.
“In states across the country, fraudsters are depriving vulnerable citizens of basic social services, stealing billions of your tax dollars, and eroding America’s social fabric,” the spokesperson said.
“This fraud has happened on such a massive scale that it’s endangering the future viability of America’s entire social safety net,” the spokesperson continued.
“The Trump Administration is responding with a whole-of-government war on fraud that includes multiple stakeholders who will follow the fraud wherever it leads,” the spokesperson added.
According to a White House document describing the order, officials believe strong reason exists to conclude that vulnerabilities similar to those found in Minnesota exist in California, Illinois, New York, Maine and Colorado, where insufficient safeguards and weak oversight increase the risk of large-scale fraud.
Trump pointed to claims of fraud in Minnesota, estimating $19 billion has been taken from federal programs throughout the state.
Vance addressed California’s potential exposure to scrutiny ahead of the signing. “We know there’s a lot of fraud in California, and we’re trying to get to the bottom of exactly what it looks like,” Vance said Friday.
“And the president has really empowered us to do this … to take the first national look at the way the American people have been defrauded over many, many years,” he added.
Earlier in the administration’s anti-fraud efforts, in January 2026, Vice President Vance announced a new division at the Department of Justice dedicated to national fraud enforcement.
The administration’s actions in Minnesota provided an early preview of how the task force may operate.
The task force announcement follows Vance freezing $259 million in Medicaid funds to Minnesota.
Nearly 9% of food stamp spending is in error, and scams like Feeding Our Future stole nearly $250 million intended for needy children.
Hundreds of millions in federal childcare funding were stolen by an organized ring, spent to purchase cars, property, and luxury travel.
Nearly 90 people have been convicted in connection with the Minnesota fraud scheme, a majority of whom are Somali American, federal sources confirmed.
The executive order requires each member of the task force to submit a measurable implementation plan to the chairman and vice chairman within 90 days. The task force will also examine new anti-fraud standards, including stricter identity verification requirements, documentation rules, and expanded audits.
