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Trump and Vance announce $25 million whistleblower program for reporting government fraud
The Justice Department will run a reward program that pays tipsters up to $30,000, and Trump says he will personally decide disputed payouts.
This article is general information, not financial, investment or insurance advice. Check the details with a qualified adviser before you decide.
A $25 million program for tips
Anyone whose tip leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action can receive up to $30,000 under a new $25 million program announced by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. [1] The program is meant to encourage the public to blow the whistle on suspected fraud in the U.S. government. [1]
It is called the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, which the White House also calls WHIP. [2] The announcement was framed as part of efforts to end the abuse of federal programs and dollars. [1]
How the program works
Tips are to be submitted to fraud.gov, and the Justice Department will administer the program. [2][1] Trump said payments will amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. [1]
Trump said he will decide who gets reward money when more than one person claims to have provided the tip. [1] He said he would be the arbitrator of all reward decisions, and that the arbitration would be binding. [1]
Trump also said journalists could participate in the program. [1]
What Vance and Trump said
Vance is in charge of the fraud task force, and said his work leading it is fun. [1] He said tax dollars are being stolen. [1]
Vance said the president has said fraud must stop and that it is stopping, and that people who help stop it get to share in the rewards. [1]
How we got here
Trump has undertaken an aggressive effort to eliminate fraud in government, including establishing a task force on the topic in March. [1] Critics have accused Trump and his family of profiting from the presidency through their many business ventures, while the White House says Trump acts only with the best interests of the American people in mind. [1]
The Shirley video and the Minnesota cases
The White House had said Trump would present a $10,000 check to Nick Shirley, a right-wing influencer. [1] No check was given to Shirley in the presence of journalists. [1]
Shirley's video said members of Minnesota's Somali community were running fake childcare centers to collect federal subsidies, and it caught the attention of the Trump administration and conservative activists. [1] Inspectors said the Minnesota centers were operating as expected, and investigations, searches and arrests followed the video. [1]
In July, Fahima Mahamud pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States by submitting inflated reimbursement claims for meals allegedly served to children at her childcare center, according to the Justice Department. [1] The White House says Mahamud was featured in Shirley's video. [1]
Shirley said during the event that fraud robs from poor and needy people, and that when people expose fraud they help save America. [1]
What it means for you
If you have a tip about suspected fraud in the federal government, it is to be submitted to fraud.gov. [1][2] You are eligible for up to $30,000 if the tip leads to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action. [1]
Payments are to amount to a 1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover. [1] If more than one person claims to have provided the same tip, Trump said he will decide who gets the money, and that his arbitration would be binding. [1]
If you are a journalist, Trump said you could participate in the program. [1]
Sources
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