WASHINGTON -- President Trump announced a new program on Tuesday that will pay people up to $30,000 for tips about government fraud.
The program is part of Vice President JD Vance's antifraud task force, which he launched this year to investigate the misuse of government funds. So far, the task force has launched investigations into medical supply programs, food assistance benefits and the Affordable Care Act.
The new $25 million program will be administered by the Justice Department and tips can be submitted through a government website. Individuals can receive payments of around $10,000 to $30,000.
Trump said in the Oval Office that he would be the ultimate arbitrator of the amount of the award.
As part of the announcement on Tuesday, the White House said right-wing content creator Nick Shirley, who was in the Oval Office with Trump, would receive $10,000. Shirley produced a viral video last year that made allegations of fraud involving daycare centers. Some of those allegations were debunked by Minnesota news outlets.
Trump has latched on to a multiyear fraud scandal in Minnesota, in which dozens of state residents of Somali descent were accused by federal prosecutors of bilking taxpayers by setting up scam social-services companies. Earlier this year, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz dropped his bid for a third term in the wake of the scandal.
"If you find the money and help us recover it, then you benefit from the program," Vance said.
Tuesday's announcement is the latest in a series of antifraud efforts. Last month, the task force said it would remove hundreds of thousands of enrollments from the Affordable Care Act's public exchanges, saying those enrollees didn't meet eligibility requirements or didn't exist at all.
"This administration has zero tolerance for individuals who steal from Americans," White House spokesperson Lauren Bis said in a statement.