Vance Leads Anti-Fraud Task Force Targeting Billions in Waste

Vice President JD Vance and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson are leading a new Anti-Fraud Task Force that has identified tens of billions of dollars in improper payments across federal programs.

The effort marks a shift from the previous administration’s approach, which Vance said ignored fraud under $1.5 million a year. Officials now use forensic accounting and AI tools to flag suspicious claims before payments are issued.

The task force has already executed 22 search warrants at fraudulent day care centers in Minnesota and launched a crackdown on Medicare fraud in Los Angeles. In one case, prosecutors secured multi-year prison sentences in a $522 million health care scheme.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz said the agency removed 800 questionable providers from the Medicare system, none of whom appealed the decision.

The Department of Justice’s new Fraud Division, led by Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, is also reviewing high-risk programs such as SNAP benefits, student loans and small business loans.

The House Oversight Committee has created its own fraud unit under Rep. Brandon Gill of Texas. Immigration and Customs Enforcement identified 10,000 fraudulent foreign students in the Optional Practical Training program.

Officials estimate the United States loses about $250 billion to fraud each year and recovers only about $10 billion. The task force aims to improve that recovery rate by stopping payments before they are issued.