White House fraud tracker exposes nearly $300 billion tab as health programs take center stage

The White House’s new fraud tracking website is spotlighting billions of dollars in government losses prevented, with healthcare programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services among the largest areas of focus.

The online “Fraud Ledger" said the administration has uncovered nearly $230 billion in fraud and stopped approximately $56 billion in fraudulent payments through its efforts to identify waste, abuse and improper spending across federal programs. 

According to administration officials, the website is intended to give taxpayers a public view of fraud investigations, enforcement actions and fraud prevention measures carried out as part of President Donald Trump’s broader push to combat fraud in federal benefit programs. The White House has described the effort as a way to “root out” fraud and recover taxpayer dollars.

Administration officials said the administration stopped $46 billion of fraud in HHS-related programs, uncovered $96 billion and enforced $30.5 billion in recovery actions.

The Department of Health and Human Services reported more than $90 billion identified in improper payments

"Each partner agency reported three figures to the Task Force. Fraud uncovered represents total estimated fraud identified through data analysis. Fraud stopped counts the dollars saved annually through administrative actions such as provider suspensions and rule changes," read the website. "Fraud enforced covers dollars recovered through indictments, settlements, and civil monetary penalties. All figures reflect the period since January 2025."

Healthcare spending represents a major portion of the government’s fraud and improper payment problems.

HHS also reported more than $90 billion in improper payments across its programs in its fiscal year 2025 financial report. The largest categories included Medicare and Medicaid, with Medicaid accounting for tens of billions of dollars in estimated improper payments. 

The tracker rated Medicaid fraud as its “highest-impact” anti-fraud action since January 2025. 

“CMS held states accountable for the first time for Medicaid fraud, deferring federal financial participation of over $2 billion from California and over $500 million from Minnesota,” read the website.

Improper payments are not automatically evidence of fraud

Federal auditors caution that improper payments are not automatically evidence of fraud. The Government Accountability Office defines improper payments as funds that “shouldn’t have been made or were made in the incorrect amount,” which can include administrative errors, eligibility mistakes or insufficient documentation.

The GAO estimated that federal agencies made approximately $186 billion in improper payments government-wide in fiscal year 2025, bringing the total estimate since 2003 to roughly $3 trillion. 

The Trump administration has argued that stronger data-sharing and enforcement tools can prevent taxpayer losses before money leaves government programs. The White House previously announced efforts to eliminate information barriers between agencies, saying better access to government data would help detect and prevent fraud. 

HHS officials have also expanded the use of data analytics and other screening tools to identify questionable billing patterns and payment risks before funds are distributed, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Investigators have targeted Medicare and Medicaid fraud schemes involving false medical claims, phantom providers, unnecessary procedures and improper billing, while watchdog agencies continue to stress that reducing improper payments requires fixing administrative problems in addition to fraud prevention efforts.

The White House said the new tracker will continue to be updated as federal agencies report additional enforcement actions and taxpayer savings.