{"id":2612766,"date":"2026-06-10T05:48:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:48:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-pivot-to-combating-fraud-as-midterm-elections-approach\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T05:54:31","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T09:54:31","slug":"republicans-pivot-to-combating-fraud-as-midterm-elections-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-pivot-to-combating-fraud-as-midterm-elections-approach\/","title":{"rendered":"Republicans pivot to combating fraud as midterm elections approach"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frepublicans-pivot-to-combating-fraud-as-midterm-elections-approach%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2612766&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Republicans are prioritizing anti-fraud efforts in government programs, hoping the push will resonate with voters ahead of the November midterm elections amid widespread anger about government waste and rising costs of living.House lawmakers are advancing several bills aimed at reducing fraud, including measures to improve fraud prevention during national emergencies, strengthen oversight and inspector general functions for fraud accountability and recovery, and better stop fraudulent or improper payments (as well as identity fraud in student aid applications).<\/p>\n<p>The article also highlights a recent House win for the Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026 and notes that, if enacted, it would impose additional sanctions on states that <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >misuse <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/economists-push-for-another-round-of-stimulus-checks\/\" title=\"Economists ... for Another Round of Stimulus Checks\">child care<\/a> grant funds<\/a>. supporters frame the agenda as part of a broader \u201cwhole-of-government\u201d strategy, pointing to related actions by the Trump management-such as creating a White House task force to eliminate fraud-and increased political attention from figures like Vice President JD Vance, who has referred alleged wrongdoing by minnesota officials to the Justice Department\u2019s fraud division.  <\/p>\n<p>The push is further fueled by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ftx-founder-sam-bankman-fried-found-guilty-of-financial-fraud-money-laundering\/\" title=\"FTX Founder Sam Bankman...Fried Convicted of Financial ..., Money Laundering\">high-profile fraud cases<\/a> in states like Minnesota-where some allegations involve registering as medical providers and fraudulently billing medicaid, including kickback schemes tied to mental health therapy enrollments-as well as growing state-level crackdowns. Republicans argue the effort can save taxpayers money and help address economic pressures, and political analysts cited suggest this campaign will continue through the election season rather than being a short-term push.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/republicans\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"240\">Republicans<\/a> on Capitol Hill and beyond have shifted their focus toward cutting <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fraud\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3188\">fraud<\/a> in government programs, an effort they hope will resonate with voters in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/midterm-elections\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"308\">November<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers have rolled out several bills related to stopping fraud in government programs. The raft of legislation adds to efforts by the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"339\">Trump administration<\/a> to crack down on fraud and recent news stories highlighting examples of abuse of major government programs like Medicare and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4600792\/social-security-sharice-davids-protect-benefits\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018We promised Social Security\u2019: Sharice Davids vows to protect benefits<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4600748\/social-security-retirement-trust-fund-exhausted-2032-trustees\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Social Security retirement trust fund will be exhausted by 2032, trustees say<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/finance-and-economy\/4600121\/us-airlines-fuel-costs-iran-war\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>US airlines spent $6.5 billion on fuel in April as Iran war strangled energy market<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With voters upset at the government and dissatisfied with the cost of living, Republicans are betting anti-fraud efforts will resonate in the lead-up to the midterm elections.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think the whole government corruption, incompetence, and waste thing is really breaking through,\u201d Jason Roe, a veteran Republican political consultant, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The House was weighing several pieces of fraud-related legislation this week.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, the Fraud Prevention and Accountability Act would enhance how the federal government prevents fraud during national emergencies, particularly after COVID-19 pandemic programs were used by some fraudsters to turn a profit.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That legislation would also establish an Office of the Inspector General for Fraud, Accountability, and Recovery, which would be housed within the Treasury Department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Stopping Fraudulent Payments Act would establish requirements to prevent fraudulent or improper payments from federal programs, while the No Aid for Ghost Students Act would establish an identity fraud detection system for student aid applications.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And last week, the House passed the Stop Child Care Scams Act of 2026 in a 217-207 vote, with four Democrats joining Republicans. The Democrats were Reps. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Don Davis (D-NC), Jared Golden (D-ME), and Vicente Gonzales (D-TX).<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap\" style=\"min-height:5px;\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" style=\"display:none;\">Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The legislation, if it clears the Senate and is signed by Trump, would subject states to additional sanctions for improperly using funds under the Child Care and Development Block Grant program.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4600712\/minnesota-disenrolls-thousands-high-risk-medicaid-providers\/\"><strong>MINNESOTA DISENROLLS THOUSANDS OF HIGH-RISK MEDICAID PROVIDERS FOLLOWING FEDERAL SQUEEZE: \u2018SHOCKING LACK OF OVERSIGHT\u2019<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) said during a news conference this week that the latest undertaking by lawmakers is \u201cjust the tip of the iceberg.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cHere in the House, Republicans are strengthening government programs to defend against fraud and serve the vulnerable Americans they are intended for,\u201d Emmer said. \u201cThe contrast couldn\u2019t be clearer: While Democrats facilitate fraud, Republicans tackle it head on, and we\u2019ll be doing even more of that this week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Daniel West, government relations director at Heritage Action, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> he sees this legislative push as being responsive to broader frustrations over fraud from the public. It\u2019s also a reaction to news reports on specific instances of fraud and reporting from independent journalists that gained a lot of media attention.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, Minnesota has gotten outsize attention for fraud in recent months. Many of the fraud allegations centered on Minnesota\u2019s Somali community.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Specifically, some of the fraud involved Somalis <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/investigations\/4399944\/how-minnesota-somali-fraud-industrial-complex-stolen-millions-medicaid\/\">registering as medical providers<\/a> and stealing from Medicaid through the Minnesota Health Care Programs by billing the government for services that were not performed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One example is Asha Farhan Hassan, who pleaded guilty to carrying out Medicaid fraud by giving kickbacks to parents to enroll their children in therapy to grift off Minnesota\u2019s Early Intensive Developmental and Behavioral Intervention benefit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">West said there is a significant amount of frustration not only toward the people perpetrating the fraud, but also toward the government apparatus that was supposed to prevent such fraud from occurring in the first place.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Trump administration has also made its own effort to combat fraud alongside Republicans on Capitol Hill. In March, the administration <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/releases\/2026\/05\/trump-administrations-full-scale-war-on-fraud\/\">announced<\/a> an \u201cunrelenting, full-scale assault\u201d on fraud. That involved the creation of the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President JD Vance also recently waded into the fraud push in a big way. This week, Vance <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4600207\/vance-refers-walz-ellison-doj-fraud-whistleblower-complaint\/\">referred allegations<\/a> involving Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) and Attorney General Keith Ellison to the Department of Justice\u2019s new fraud division. The referrals come after the GOP-led House oversight committee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4598160\/tim-walz-minnesota-whistleblowers-oversight\/\">released a report<\/a> that officials in Walz\u2019s administration retaliated against state employees who raised concerns about fraud.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Brian Darling, a Republican strategist and former Senate aide, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> he thinks the effort will appeal to voters because they will contrast it with how much of their taxpayer dollars are spent in Washington.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen you look at Congress having a hard time cutting any spending \u2014 they haven\u2019t cut one cent of spending, they just keep continuing to spend more and more \u2014 it\u2019s good to see the Trump administration getting out the word that they\u2019re attacking fraud, which will actually save the taxpayers some money,\u201d Darling said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Niklas Kleinworth, director of the State Health Reform Initiative at Paragon Health Institute, told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> his group\u2019s research shows a lot of Obamacare enrollment fraud kicked up after the pandemic because of changes the government made, but that there have been long-standing problems with fraud in the Medicaid space.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And the Republican push against fraud isn\u2019t just coming from the federal level. Kleinworth said several states have recently worked to crack down on it.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cA lot of states are taking this fraud very seriously, and they\u2019re making a lot of efforts to try and try and root it out,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For instance, Ohio Republican state Rep. Mike Dovilla recently <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/ohiohouse.gov\/members\/michael-d-dovilla\/news\/rep-mike-dovilla-announces-ohio-medicaid-program-integrity-and-fraud-prevention-act-144838\">released<\/a> a legislative package designed to combat fraud within Ohio\u2019s Medicaid program, a package that includes provisions like bolstering electronic verification of in-home personal care services.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Darling said he thinks Republicans will be able to tie the anti-fraud effort to cost-of-living concerns. He tied inflation to the government.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBecause government has control of the money supply, and so the fact that the Trump administration is going after fraud and trying to save tens of billions of dollars, maybe hundreds of billions of dollars, that\u2019s going to help with inflation, because money is going to have more power because the federal government will run smaller deficits,\u201d Darling said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4598160\/tim-walz-minnesota-whistleblowers-oversight\/\"><strong>WALZ ADMINISTRATION USED OUTSIDE INVESTIGATORS TO PUNISH WHISTLEBLOWERS, OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE FINDS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">West said he expects the whole-of-government effort to continue this year in the lead-up to the midterm elections, suggesting this current Republican effort isn\u2019t just a flash in the pan and will be looked into for months to come.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think we\u2019re just kind of on the front end of all this,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Republicans are pushing anti-fraud bills in government programs, aiming to win voter support<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3360,"featured_media":2612767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/house-gop-fraud-pivot-midterms.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[34382,34250,32504,3756,32645],"class_list":["post-2612766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-election-security","tag-midterm-elections","tag-political-strategy","tag-republicans","tag-voter-fraud"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/house-gop-fraud-pivot-midterms.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612766","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3360"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2612766"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2612770,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2612766\/revisions\/2612770"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2612767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2612766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2612766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2612766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}