President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday creating a national task force dedicated to combating public fraud and named Vice President JD Vance to lead the effort, Just The News reported.
"If we found half the fraud in this country... we would have a balanced budget," Trump insisted.
The President made clear he expected Vance to take the assignment seriously rather than treat it as a ceremonial title. He took a jab at his predecessor while making the point.
"This will not be like a Kamala," he said, referring to former Vice President Kamala Harris's tenure as border czar.
"I promise, sir," Vance replied.
The assignment marks one of the first major dedicated roles for Vance in the administration. Trump had previously announced that the Vice President would head the task force.
Public welfare fraud has drawn intense scrutiny following revelations of large scale abuse of public funds in Minneapolis tied to the Somali expatriate community. The scams, which involved siphoning federal dollars from state administered social services programs during the 2020s, have cost taxpayers an estimated $9 billion by some calculations. Roughly 50 people have been convicted in connection with the schemes.
"This is a very important whole of government approach," Vance said. He highlighted a fraud ring the administration had already uncovered in which Somalis allegedly defrauded autism therapy funding.
"That kind of fraud is one example of probably hundreds just within the state," he said.
A society that tolerates even a small measure of corruption will inevitably be consumed by it. Rooting out fraud at every level of government and holding criminals accountable regardless of their background is essential to restoring trust in American institutions. The billions stolen from hardworking taxpayers represent not just financial loss but a betrayal of the social contract that must be met with the full force of the law.
