President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday establishing a federal task force focused on preventing fraud in taxpayer-funded benefit programs.
The order creates the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud within the Executive Office of the President to coordinate government efforts to detect and prevent fraud, waste, and abuse.
The vice president will serve as chair of the task force, with the chairman of the Federal Trade Commission serving as vice chair. The assistant to the president for homeland security will act as senior adviser.
Representatives from multiple federal agencies will participate, including the departments of Treasury, Justice, Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs, and Homeland Security.
The task force will coordinate a national strategy aimed at improving eligibility verification, strengthening enforcement of program rules, and identifying fraud schemes across federal benefit programs.
Programs targeted include those providing housing, food assistance, medical care, and cash aid administered by federal agencies and state or local partners.
Federal agencies administering benefit programs must identify transactions and processes most vulnerable to fraud within 30 days of the order.
Within 60 days, the task force must coordinate efforts to develop minimum anti-fraud requirements, including identity verification, documentation requirements, and payment integrity controls.
Each member agency must submit a measurable implementation plan within 90 days outlining how the anti-fraud measures will be carried out.
The order also directs federal agencies to improve data sharing with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments and coordinate with law enforcement agencies to identify and dismantle fraud networks.
The attorney general was directed to promote civil actions related to fraud in federal benefit programs and ensure timely review of those cases.
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