Vice President Vance visits Maine to tout administration’s crackdown on benefit fraud
Vice President JD Vance visited Bangor, Maine on Thursday to tout the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud in federal benefit programs, saying that Americans have been “fleeced by your own government” for decades.
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Speaking to a roomful of supporters holding “Protecting Taxpayer Dollars” signs, Vance said benefit fraud is particularly acute in Maine and blamed the problem in large part on Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat.
“She has actually fought back against our efforts to identify fraud in the Medicaid or Medicare programs, which, by the way, not only does it steal from you, but it means that those programs are going to go bankrupt because all the money is going to the fraudsters,” Vance said.
Mills’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment as Vance was wrapping up his remarks.
He cited multiple instances of benefit fraud in the state, referencing a January report from the US Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General that found Maine had made at least $45.6 million in improper Medicaid payments for autism services.
He also cited the case of an undocumented woman living in Maine who he said is facing a lengthy federal prison sentence for collecting millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements for interpretation services she never performed.
Nationwide, Vance said, cases have been uncovered of dead people receiving food stamps, people receiving funds for food and housing assistance while driving luxury cars, and individuals collecting hospice benefits without a terminal illness.
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The Trump administration is now cracking down, he said. On Wednesday, officials “sent out 50 letters to every state Medicaid system all over the country,” Vance said. “We basically said, very simply, that we’re gonna take away your money unless you get serious about fighting fraud.”
It’s an issue that’s been on the White House’s radar for a while. In late March, Vance held the first meeting of the administration’s anti-fraud task force, and on Wednesday he announced a $1.3 billion deferral in Medicaid reimbursements to California due to fraud.
The administration is also imposing a six-month freeze on some new Medicare enrollments and warning states to investigate Medicaid fraud or risk losing funding, officials said Wednesday.
Despite what he described as rampant fraud, Vance concluded his remarks in Bangor on an optimistic note.
“What I’ve learned over the last 18 months is that we have the most talented, the most compassionate, and the toughest people anywhere in the world,” Vance said. “Ladies and gentlemen, America is the best country, and it’s going to be the best country for many years to come.”
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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