WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced on Oct. 20 the launch of a $25 million Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program.
The program is designed to reward Americans who help expose misuse of public funds.
Under the initiative, individuals who provide tips that result in a successful fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action are eligible to receive 1 percent of the amount of the fraud.
“Independent journalists and everybody and all Americans will now be able to go to the fraud.gov and report cases of corruption and theft of taxpayer dollars in their communities,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
“If you turn somebody in and you, let’s say, report and you find $1 billion, we are giving a commission to that person of 1 percent. It’s a lot of money,” Trump said.
The Department of Justice will manage the program, and Americans will be able to submit tips online at Fraud.gov.
A White House official previously told The Epoch Times the reward could reach $30,000, but Trump clarified that the commission would have no cap.
“It’s 1 percent. There’s no limit,“ Trump said, noting that the incentive extends beyond criminal prosecutions. ”If we recover the money, that’s what it is. You get 1 percent.”
Predicting the program will incentivize widespread fraud reporting, Trump added, “I think it’s going to ring off the hook,” and said that people “will make millions of dollars by turning others in.”
As part of the Oct. 20 Oval Office announcement, Trump invited independent reporter Nick Shirley and recognized his efforts to uncover alleged fraud at childcare centers in Minnesota.
In December last year, Shirley shared a video on his YouTube channel showing empty daycare centers and spoke with people nearby who said they had never seen children at those facilities. The video went viral, leading to several investigations, arrests, and new charges by law enforcement.
In July, Fahima Mahamud, who appeared in Shirley’s video, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government as part of the Feeding Our Future scandal.
“Nick has been at the forefront of the battle to stop the horrible plague that’s happened within our country,” Trump said.
Speaking at the event, Shirley criticized California for recently passing what opponents call the “Stop Nick Shirley Act.”
“Instead of going after the fraudsters, they came after me,” he said.
He claimed the new California law will prevent reporters from publishing videos about fraud, calling it “a direct violation of the First Amendment.”
Speaking at the Oval Office event, Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said Health and Human Services is deferring an additional $1.2 billion in Medicaid funding from California over concerns about widespread fraud in the state’s healthcare programs.
On March 16, Trump signed an executive order officially creating an anti-fraud task force headed by Vance.
Since January 2025, the task force has identified more than $260 billion in fraud. Of this amount, approximately $72 billion has been stopped annually through administrative actions such as provider suspensions and rule changes. Additionally, $60 billion has been recovered through indictments, settlements, and civil penalties.
“Every day, President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud is zeroing in on the rampant abuse of taxpayer dollars and giving Americans the accountability they deserve,” White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told The Epoch Times in a statement.
“This administration has zero tolerance for individuals who steal from Americans.”
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