Establishing the Task Force To Eliminate Fraud
The order creates a Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by the Vice President, to coordinate a national strategy against fraud, waste, and abuse in federally funded benefit programs administered by states and federal agencies.
It sets hard deadlines for agencies to identify vulnerable benefit processes, adopt minimum anti-fraud requirements, and submit implementation plans — and it directs examination of whether federal funds can be withheld from jurisdictions that fail to meet those standards.
What this order does
What it orders
The order establishes a Task Force to Eliminate Fraud within the Executive Office of the President, chaired by the Vice President and vice-chaired by the FTC Chairman. The Task Force is directed to coordinate federal anti-fraud strategy across programs such as Medicaid, SNAP, housing assistance, and childcare funding. Member agencies must identify their most fraud-vulnerable benefit transactions and processes within 30 days, after which the Task Force has 60 days to adopt minimum anti-fraud requirements — covering identity verification, pre-payment controls, data sharing, and audits — across those programs. Within 90 days, each member agency must submit a measurable implementation plan.
The order also directs the Attorney General to promote private civil fraud lawsuits under the False Claims Act and ensure prompt government review of those suits. It instructs the Task Force and member agencies to examine whether federal funds may be withheld from states or localities that lack adequate anti-fraud controls, though any such withholding must be consistent with applicable law. The order does not itself change eligibility rules or withhold any funding.
Who it affects
Federal agencies administering benefit programs, state and local governments receiving federal benefit funding, benefit program enrollees and providers, and private citizens who might bring False Claims Act suits. Indirectly, all taxpayers who fund federal benefit programs.
Why it matters
States that currently lack strong fraud controls may face pressure to adopt new verification and data-sharing requirements or risk losing federal funding. Benefit program providers and enrollees could face enhanced scrutiny and revalidation requirements. The False Claims Act direction opens a broader channel for private fraud litigation.
What must happen and when
How the order is supposed to work
The Task Force operates under the Vice President's direct supervision, with the FTC Chairman managing day-to-day direction through an Executive Director. A staged deadline structure drives implementation: agencies flag vulnerabilities first (30 days), the Task Force sets minimum standards across those vulnerabilities next (60 days), and agencies submit measurable plans last (90 days). Enforcement leverage over states comes through potential fund withholding, though the order conditions that on applicable law and future agency recommendation rather than imposing it directly. The Attorney General runs a parallel track promoting False Claims Act litigation.
Actions and deadlines
- Each agency administering federal benefit programs submits descriptions of fraud-vulnerable transactions and suggested prevention measures to Task Force leadership
- Task Force coordinates member agencies to adopt minimum anti-fraud requirements for identified transactions and processes
- Task Force and member agencies examine and recommend ways federal funds may be withheld from non-compliant jurisdictions
- Each Task Force member agency submits a measurable implementation plan for fraud-prevention measures to the Chairman and Vice Chairman
- Attorney General takes appropriate action to promote private False Claims Act civil suits involving federal benefit program fraud
- Attorney General ensures prompt review of False Claims Act suits, including within the statutory 60-day period to the maximum extent practicable