President Donald Trump unveiled a “fraud whistleblower incentive program” in the Oval Office on Tuesday afternoon, promising a slice of any recovered funds to anyone who reports fraud. He then added a twist: he would personally settle any disputes over who receives the payment.
Trump stated that Americans could report suspected corruption and misappropriation of taxpayer dollars through a new website, fraud.gov. He himself outlined the payout terms.
Seemingly contradicting the program’s announced cap of $30,000 in rewards, Trump asserted, “If you turn somebody in and you, let’s say, report and you find a billion dollars, we are giving a commission to that person of 1 percent. It’s a lot of money.”
He extended the offer to journalists, but with a caveat.
“If a reporter turned somebody in, you have to get approval perhaps from your wonderful newspaper,” Trump said.
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Trump argued that the program is necessary because the fraud uncovered thus far represents only a fraction of the total amount.
“Since I came into office, we’ve already uncovered $260 billion of fraud,” he said. “And that’s peanuts compared to what the real number is.”
Vice President JD Vance said the idea originated from a discussion with the president about enlisting everyday Americans in the fight. According to Vance, Trump’s directive was straightforward: “set up a commission, establish an incentive program.”
The announcement took its most notable turn when Trump addressed how disputes over who deserves the money would be resolved.
“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump said. “In other words, I will determine whether or not the person is deserving.”
He pledged to be generous and insisted the process would be swift.
“I’m not doing it for any other reason other than to expedite,” Trump said. “We won’t have long lines waiting or court cases or anything else. We will have a binding arbitration.”
Regarding disputes involving multiple claimants, he added: “Maybe they will split it. I will make the determination.”
Citizen journalist Nick Shirley, 24, said the incentive is long overdue. “There has never been an incentive for anyone to expose fraud,” Shirley said, adding that mainstream media “investigated [him]” instead.
Shirley is a YouTuber and self-described independent journalist whose viral video examined allegations of billions of dollars in fraud in Minnesota.
At the event, Vance stated that Shirley “is going to get a financial reward” under the new program.
Colin McDonald, who runs the DOJ’s National Fraud Division, told the president that “there is upwards of $800 billion of taxpayer money that is stolen by fraudsters.”
He said that amount could cover the entire DOJ workforce budget and noted that if fraud were its own department, it would be among the most expensive agencies in the federal government. Trump interjected, saying it “could also balance the budget.”
Senior adviser Stephen Miller closed the event with the sharpest rhetoric, crediting Trump for the $260 billion figure and blaming “refugees, illegal aliens and foreigners” for plundering taxpayers.
“The looting will stop, and the pillaging will stop, and the robbing will stop,” Miller declared.
