Trump signs executive order to create Vance-led national fraud task force, after Minnesota scandal

President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order forming a national task force to combat public fraud and placed Vice President JD Vance in charge of the effort.

"If we found half the fraud in this country... we would have a balanced budget," Trump insisted. He further joked that he expected Vance to take the role seriously and not merely accept a nominal post, pointing to his predecessor.

"This will not be like a Kamala," he said, referring to former Vice President Kamala Harris's tenure as border czar.

"I promise, sir," Vance replied. 

Trump previously announced that Vance would head the task force. The post marks one of the first major dedicated assignments for the vice president of the administration.

Public welfare fraud has been in the public spotlight since revelations of large-scale public funds abuse in Minneapolis, Minn., that was linked to the Somali expat community.

The scams, which involved taking federal funds from state-administered social services programs in the 2020s, have cost taxpayers, according to some estimates, $9 billion and have resulted in roughly 50 people being convicted. 

"This is a very important whole of government approach," Vance said, before highlighting a fraud ring the Trump administration had already discovered in which Somalis allegedly defrauded autism therapy funding.

"That kind of fraud is one example of probably hundreds just within the state," he said.

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent at Just the News. Follow him on X.