Trump, Vance Launch $25M Fund to Reward Fraud Tips

WHO:

The Independent - Dr. Mehmet Oz, Stephen Miller, and Nick Shirley, described as a 24-year-old influencer, attended the Oval Office event; Miller spoke about alleged fraud by refugees, undocumented immigrants, and foreigners.

Alternet - DOJ fraud czar Colin McDonald said his department had identified dozens of cases alleging attempts to defraud the government of a combined $490 million.

Alternet - Carolyn Schenck, a Caplin & Drysdale partner and former IRS official, said, “Criminal tax cases are resource-intensive” and “I think it’s going to be tough.”

Alternet - Sean O’Connell, a Baker Donelson partner who has prosecuted tax and fraud cases, said the memo treats tax cases as “‘Well, you guys can tag along on pre-existing fraud cases.’”

Newsweek - Donald Trump and JD Vance announced a whistleblower initiative.

NY Post - President Trump and Vice President JD Vance are associated with the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program (WHIP); Vance is described as Trump’s fraud czar and the head of a task force.

Alternet - President Donald Trump announced the tip line; Vice President JD Vance is running a government task force, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Alternet - National security analyst Marcy Wheeler wrote, “I predict this won't last long -- if only because it'll lead to a flood of FOIA-able material about why DOJ refuses to prosecute Trump fraud.”

Alternet - Right-wing content creator Nick Shirley was named to receive the program’s first check.

Fox News - President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance will unveil the program.

WHAT:

Alternet - IRS Criminal Investigation lost 331 staff members, including 101 agents, according to a 2025 enforcement report.

Alternet - A Treasury Inspector General report found IRS Criminal Investigation provided labor valued at $37 million—the equivalent of 170 full-time special agents—to immigration and street-crime enforcement from May 2025 through March 2026.

Alternet - The Trump administration proposed cutting the IRS budget by an additional $1.4 billion in 2027.

The Independent - Trump said, “JD and the untouchables,” referring to the group with Vance, Oz, and Miller, and told an Independent reporter to be “quiet.”

The Independent - Trump said Vance had described pursuing fraudsters as “like shooting fish in a barrel.”

The Independent - Trump said he would decide whether reported fraud was real and how much reward a tipster would receive.

CBS News - President Trump handed Nick Shirley a $10,000 check from the Oval Office.

CBS News - Trump said the incentive would “keep a lot of people honest.”

CBS News - Shirley’s 42-minute video alleged that nearly a dozen Minnesota daycare centers received public money without providing services.

CBS News - A CBS News review found that all but two centers had active licenses; regulators had visited the active centers in the prior six months. The review found safety and other violations but no recorded evidence of fraud in the records it examined.

CBS News - Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis received $1.9 million from Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program in fiscal year 2025.

CBS News - A woman shown in one of Shirley’s videos pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.

CBS News Politics - President Trump said he would decide which fraud whistleblowers receive payment.

IJR - The program may reward tips leading to significant federal enforcement actions, in addition to tips leading to fraud convictions.

CBS News Politics - President Trump said successful whistleblowers would receive 1% of the fraud they report, although limits may apply.

Newsweek - Trump and Vance announced a $25 million whistleblower initiative.

NY Post - The WHIP is a $25 million fund offering tipsters up to $30,000 each for information leading to federal convictions.

Alternet - The program seeks reports of “waste, fraud and abuse”; individuals can receive up to $30,000 if a tip leads to a conviction.

Alternet - Shirley’s first check will be $10,000 for a video about fraudulent daycare centers already under state and federal investigation.

Alternet - Four daycare centers were already under investigation by the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families.

NBC News - The outlet provided live coverage of Trump and Vance announcing a fraud whistleblower program.

Fox News - The program offers up to $30,000 for tips leading to convictions.

WHERE:

The Independent - The announcement and exchanges with reporters took place in the Oval Office.

CBS News - Trump presented Shirley’s check from the Oval Office; Shirley’s video featured Minnesota daycare centers, including Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis.

NY Post - The announcement was identified with Washington.

Alternet - Tips can be submitted through a government website.

WHY:

Alternet - The program is intended to encourage reports of government “waste, fraud and abuse.”

HOW:

Alternet - The administration sought to expand anti-fraud enforcement by pursuing tax charges on illicit gains; McDonald said fraudsters must report income from criminal activity and pay applicable taxes.

CBS News - The Justice Department said tips could be submitted at Fraud.gov.

Alternet - The Justice Department will administer the program, and individuals may submit tips through a government website.

Alternet - The article says the government already had fraud investigators and anti-fraud capacity, including the FBI, Justice Department and IRS criminal investigators.

Alternet - The article says the DOJ Civil Fraud Division is a main mechanism for investigating such matters and that its staffing was cut 25 percent amid DOGE layoffs.

Alternet - The Hill reported that internal DOJ charts showed declining Civil Division attorney staffing alongside rising caseloads; DOJ said it had hired more than 200 attorneys since the administration began, with more hires planned.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 22:17 UTC)

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced a $25 million whistleblower program offering up to $30,000 for tips that lead to federal convictions. Tips can be submitted through the Justice Department’s Fraud.gov website, and Trump said he would decide who gets paid. At the Oval Office event, Trump handed influencer Nick Shirley a $10,000 check for a video alleging Minnesota daycare centers took public money without providing services. A CBS News review found most centers featured had active licenses and no recorded evidence of fraud in the records examined, though regulators found safety and other violations. Four centers were already under state investigation. The administration says the program will help expose waste, fraud and abuse. It also wants to pursue tax charges over illicit gains, as officials acknowledged dozens of alleged fraud cases involving a combined $490 million.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 16:09 UTC)

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance have launched a $25 million whistleblower program aimed at uncovering government waste, fraud and abuse. The Justice Department will run the initiative, with tips submitted through Fraud.gov. People whose information leads to a federal conviction may receive up to $30,000, and Trump says he will decide who gets paid. Trump also presented the program’s first $10,000 check to online creator Nick Shirley in the Oval Office. Shirley’s video alleged that Minnesota daycare centers took public money without providing services, including Minneapolis’s Quality Learning Center, which received $1.9 million in 2025. A CBS review found most of the centers examined had active licenses and had been visited by regulators, with violations but no recorded evidence of fraud in the records reviewed. One woman featured in Shirley’s video has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy. Four centers were already under state investigation.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 04:11 UTC)

President Trump said he would decide which fraud whistleblowers receive payments. The program may reward tips that lead to significant federal enforcement actions. It may also pay for tips that lead to fraud convictions.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 01:26 UTC)

President Trump said successful whistleblowers would receive 1% of the fraud they report. He added that limits may apply. The announcement did not specify what those limits would be.

(UPDATED October 21, 2026 00:27 UTC)

President Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced a $25 million fraud whistleblower program, administered by the Justice Department, to encourage reports of government waste, fraud and abuse. The initiative offers tipsters up to $30,000 for information leading to federal convictions, with reports submitted through a government website. Right-wing content creator Nick Shirley was named to receive the first check, $10,000 for a video about daycare centers already under investigation in Minnesota.