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Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that the Justice Department will intensify efforts to prosecute fraud, pledging that authorities will no longer ignore cases based on size or scope.
Vance made the remarks before swearing in Colin McDonald as assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement, a role tied to the administration’s broader anti-fraud initiative.
“Our entire social safety net, our entire idea of neighbors helping out neighbors, of Americans helping out Americans, is premised on the idea that only the people who really need these programs get them,” Vance said.
“That when the American taxpayer sends money to a program, it goes to somebody in their community who has the legal right to be here [and] has the legal right to actually benefit from these programs,” he added.
Vance said the U.S. Department of Justice had previously failed to pursue smaller fraud cases, but that would change under the new approach.
“I think that’s going to reimpose deterrence,” he said. “It’s going to make fraudsters know that they’re going to suffer some consequences, and it’s going to make the American people know that these programs are being protected for the people who need them, because there are a lot of them out there.”
McDonald, a federal prosecutor confirmed by the Senate last month, will help lead a national fraud task force overseen by Vance.
The renewed focus comes amid heightened scrutiny of public welfare fraud, including large-scale schemes uncovered in Minneapolis that prosecutors say cost taxpayers billions of dollars and led to dozens of convictions.
Administration officials have said the effort is aimed at strengthening enforcement and restoring public confidence in federal assistance programs.
“My Administration has uncovered fraud schemes in states like Minnesota and California, where these thieves have stolen hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars,” President Trump previously said. “Together, we will end the fraud and restore integrity to our federal programs.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi also celebrated McDonald’s recent Senate confirmation.
“Congratulations to Colin McDonald, an integral member of our team @thejusticedept, on his confirmation today! Colin is an experienced, skilled, and tough prosecutor who will continue doing incredible work to root out fraud across America. President Trump made an outstanding choice,” she posted to X.
