The President on March 16, 2026, signed an executive order establishing a task force within the Executive Office of the President to address fraud in federal benefit programs.
The order, published March 19, 2026, in the Federal Register, directs the task force to coordinate a national strategy to stop fraud, waste, and abuse in programs administered jointly with state, local, tribal, and territorial partners. According to the document, some states have used loopholes that avoid eligibility validation, which the order says allows illegal aliens, criminals, foreign gangs, bureaucrats, state and local officials, non-governmental organizations, and ineligible providers to exploit the programs at the expense of American taxpayers.
The Vice President will serve as the chairman of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, with the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission acting as vice chairman. The assistant to the president for homeland security will serve as the senior advisor. The task force will include representatives from the departments of the Treasury, Justice, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services, along with the Small Business Administration, the Office of Management and Budget, and other departments and agencies.
The executive order establishes a timeline for agency actions. Within 30 days, task force agencies administering federal benefit programs must identify transactions and processes most susceptible to fraud and submit descriptions and suggested measures to prevent fraud to the chairman and vice chairman. Within 60 days, the task force must coordinate member agency efforts to adopt, as appropriate, minimum anti-fraud requirements. The task force and member agencies are also directed to examine ways federal funds may be withheld from jurisdictions that do not have adequate anti-fraud requirements.
Within 90 days, each task force member must submit a measurable implementation plan. Additionally, the order directs the Attorney General to promote private civil actions concerning federal benefit fraud under 31 U.S.C. 3730 and ensure prompt review of such cases.