Trump launches $25 million whistleblower incentive program to pay tipsters who successfully uncover fraud

President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced that Americans who successfully uncover fraud will receive financial compensation from the federal government. The $25 million "Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program" will give a one percent commission to the individual who reported the fraud, which led to criminal charges, the president said.

The program places a particular emphasis on fraud tips for hospice, home health care, day care, and the special services industries. The Department of Justice (DOJ) said that rewards between $10,000 and $30,000 are anticipated, and the financial incentives could be given to more than one tipster if each tipster individually met the same criteria. The reward amount appears to be capped at $30,000.

 

"If anybody turns anybody in…you get a one percent commission, and I think that will be amazing, because the kind of money that’s been stolen is trillions from this country," Trump said in the Oval Office. The president was joined by Vice President JD Vance and members of the DOJ's White House Fraud Task Force. Independent journalist and YouTuber Nick Shirley, who received praise from the president for his efforts to expose fraud, was also standing behind Trump during the announcement.

VP Vance told reporters, "Your tax dollars are being stolen... If you want to help us stop it, you get to share in the rewards now." He said that 99 percent of the alleged fraud the task force has uncovered in the federal government isn't covered by the False Claims Act. Therefore, the administration believes tipsters should financially benefit from their findings, said Vance.

President Trump applauded Shirley for his work, particularly his efforts in exposing daycare fraud within the Minneapolis Somali community. Shirley's work led to federal raids.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller told reporters that many of the fraudsters are foreign nationals, who Miller said are ripping off American taxpayers. "If you're a middle-class taxpayer in this country, before President Trump came along, you spent half your working life paying for fraudsters and scammers — many of whom are refugees, illegal aliens, and foreigners who came to this country to loot and plunder us," said Miller.

In March, President Trump established the White House Fraud Task Force and ordered VP Vance to spearhead it. The DOJ also created its first-ever division investigating fraud against American taxpayers in August. To date, the task force has uncovered an estimated $260.7 billion in fraud, according to the WH fraud ledger.