Trump issues warning to 5 Democratic states, says raids already started
President Donald Trump has said “raids have already started” under his new “fraud czar,” Vice President JD Vance.
Vance’s new anti-fraud task force carried out the raids in Los Angeles on Thursday, the president said in a post on Truth Social early Friday. Several hospice and health care providers were raided by federal authorities, resulting in eight arrests and the suspension of 221 facilities over 10 weeks, officials said.
Trump said future operations will be nationwide, “but primarily in those Blue States where CROOKED DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS” are in charge, Trump said, naming California, Illinois, Minnesota, Maine, and New York.
Why It Matters
The move escalated the administration’s effort to scrutinize how federal funds flow through state-administered programs and signaled increased pressure on Democratic-led states that Trump has repeatedly accused of weak oversight.
What To Know
First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli, joined by representatives from the FBI and Mehmet Oz of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said authorities executed search and arrest warrants across the Los Angeles region, from Covina to Lakewood, as part of a series of health care fraud investigations involving roughly $50 million in alleged schemes. Five cases were tied to hospice care.
Prosecutors allege the defendants billed Medicare and other government programs for services that were unnecessary or never provided, including enrolling patients who were not terminally ill in hospice to maximize reimbursements. Officials said the cases are part of a push to crack down on fraud in publicly funded health programs, which investigators say account for significant financial losses across the system.
Trump signed an executive order on March 16 creating the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vance and vice-chaired by Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson. The White House said the panel is intended to coordinate a government-wide crackdown on fraud, waste and abuse across federally funded benefit programs, including housing, food, medical care and cash assistance.
The Republican leader has repeatedly singled out Democratic-led cities as targets for his crackdown, particularly on immigration, with federal agents carrying out high-profile operations in Los Angeles, Charlotte, Chicago and Minneapolis.
In Minnesota, federal authorities launched a large-scale enforcement operation in late 2025 targeting alleged fraud in child care and social service programs, including some cases involving Somali-run businesses.
A widely shared video by far-right YouTuber Nick Shirley has amplified claims about day care fraud in Minnesota, though officials have not substantiated the specific allegations presented in the footage. The deployment of federal immigration agents prompted protests and ramped up tensions in parts of the state’s Somali community, with local leaders and civil rights groups accusing officials of unfairly targeting immigrant neighborhoods and creating fear among residents, many of whom are U.S. citizens.
The operation drew further scrutiny after two separate incidents in January in which federal agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, sparking widespread protests and demands for accountability.
Trump has also repeatedly made claims of widespread voter fraud and said the 2020 election was stolen, allegations that have been rejected across both sides of the aisle.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump wrote in a Truth post early on Friday: “Vice President JD Vance is now in charge of ‘FRAUD’ in the United States. It is massive and pervasive, and the job he will be doing, in conjunction with many great people within the Trump Administration, will be a major factor in how great the future of our Country will be. We will call him the ‘FRAUD CZAR,’ and his focus will be ‘EVERYWHERE,’ but primarily in those Blue States where CROOKED DEMOCRAT POLITICIANS, like those in California, Illinois, Minnesota (Somalia beware!), Maine, New York, and many others, have had a ‘free for all’ in the unprecedented theft of Taxpayer Money. The numbers are so large that, if successful, we would literally be able to balance our American Budget. Raids have already started in L.A. Good Luck JD!”
Governor Gavin Newsom wrote in a post on X: “Glad the federal government is finally stepping up to do their part.”
A spokesperson for Vice President JD Vance told Fox News on Thursday: “The Administration’s War on Fraud once again yields results as more suspensions take place and fraudsters face justice for ripping off hard-working Americans and stealing their tax dollars and social services. The Vice President and his task force are proud of these latest figures and expect to see this number continue to grow dramatically.”
What Happens Next
The Trump administration is expected to expand enforcement actions targeting alleged fraud in Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded programs, with additional audits, investigations and potential arrests likely in the coming months.
*excerpt from Billal Rahman's article*
Full Article here:
Other Sources here:
https://www.newsweek.com/minneapolis-proving-ice-undoing-11423859
https://www.newsweek.com/nick-shirley-hires-security-after-backlash-from-videos-11715610
https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-minnesota-fraud-11292465
https://www.newsweek.com/doctors-nurses-arrested-california-health-care-fraud-investigation-11778870
