Vice President JD Vance's effort to build bipartisan support for a new federal anti-fraud initiative faced an early setback May 26 when a coalition of 23 Democratic attorneys general declined to participate in the White House roundtable on combating fraud in federal programs.
The meeting, held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, was the latest effort under the Trump administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which Vance chairs. The task force was created by executive order in March to identify and prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in programs such as Medicaid, food assistance, and small business loans.
The event was originally planned primarily for Republicans but was later expanded to include Democrats at the insistence of Vance, who said he wanted to foster bipartisanship in fighting fraud, according to Politico.
Hours before the meeting, the Democratic coalition sent a letter to Vance declining the invitation. Among the signatories were attorneys general from California, New York, Minnesota, and Illinois.
However, some Democratic offices sent staff members, including deputies or chiefs of staff from states such as Connecticut and Oregon. About 15 to 16 Republican attorneys general attended the session, according to participants.
“This should not be a partisan effort,” Vance said in opening remarks. “Everybody should care about fraud. Everybody should care about rooting out fraud. Everybody should care about saving the American taxpayers money, and importantly, everybody should care about actually protecting the programs that only work and are only properly funded if the money funding those programs isn’t being stolen by fraudsters.”
Vance outlined the early achievements of the task force, including referring more than $22 billion in fraudulent small business loans for collection, deferring more than $1.3 billion in questionable Medicaid reimbursements, and imposing a six-month pause on new enrollments for hospice and home health providers because of fraud concerns.
Democrats decline invitation
The attorneys general cited the timing of the invitation, which they said was sent only days before the meeting with responses due the following day, as well as the lack of a detailed agenda.
“While we would appreciate the opportunity to engage in serious discussions, the invitation was provided with less than one business day’s notice with no agenda,” the Democratic attorneys general wrote. “This short notice does not match the spirit of collaboration.”
The Democrats said they remained committed to combating fraud and would consider future meetings with more preparation time. They also raised concerns about recent staffing reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services, arguing that lowered federal capacity weakens the coordinated federal-state anti-fraud infrastructure that is the historical norm. The reduced staffing, including at the HHS Office of Inspector General, was among changes driven by the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
“Our states currently lack sufficient HHS inspector generals to match our efforts,” they wrote. “A sustained federal-state partnership, backed by adequate and sustainable resources and coordination, has helped in effectively preventing, detecting, and prosecuting fraud.”