Vance Claims At Least $19 Billion in Minneapolis‑Area Fraud, Signals California as Next Federal Target
Vice President JD Vance said Friday that federal investigations have uncovered 'probably been $19 billion at least' in fraud in the Minneapolis area and suggested California will be the next focus of major federal fraud probes. Speaking in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Vance tied the figure to work by an interagency fraud task force he announced in January under the Department of Justice and to a new task force he is expected to lead under a Trump executive order, casting it as the first 'national look' at how Americans have been defrauded over many years. He argued that taxpayer dollars are being stolen and diverted from services for 'needy people,' citing Minnesota’s 2022 Feeding Our Future COVID‑relief scandal as an example of the kind of abuse being targeted. The comments follow President Trump’s earlier declaration that a fraud investigation of California 'has begun' and his claim that the state is 'more corrupt than Minnesota,' while California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office pushed back, saying the state has blocked more than $125 billion in fraud and accusing the administration of blaming state programs for problems in federally run systems. The clash underscores how the White House is turning alleged large‑scale fraud in blue states into a central enforcement and political narrative, even as Vance’s $19 billion Minnesota estimate is presented as an assertion rather than backed by public charging documents or audits.
📌 Key Facts
- Vice President JD Vance said Friday in Rocky Mount, N.C., that fraud 'just committed in Minneapolis and the surrounding areas' has 'probably been $19 billion at least' since federal investigations began there.
- Vance’s comments referenced an interagency DOJ fraud task force he launched in January and a forthcoming task force created by a Trump executive order that he is expected to lead.
- He pointed to Minnesota’s 2022 Feeding Our Future probe, one of the largest COVID‑relief fraud cases, as an example of how federal funds were misused.
- Vance also said 'we know there’s a lot of fraud in California' and indicated that state is being scrutinized as a potential next major target of the administration’s 'war on fraud.'
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office responded that the state’s Franchise Tax Board has blocked over $125 billion in fraud since he took office and accused the Trump administration of mischaracterizing programs that are federally administered.
📊 Relevant Data
The Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota involved a total of approximately $250 million in misappropriated federal child nutrition funds, not $19 billion as claimed by Vice President JD Vance.
Federal Jury Finds Feeding Our Future Mastermind and Co ... — U.S. Department of Justice
The estimated total pandemic relief fraud in Minnesota across various schemes is nearly $1 billion, based on ongoing federal investigations.
Fraud in Minnesota: Detailing the nearly $1 billion in schemes — FOX 9
The majority of the 79 indicted suspects in the Feeding Our Future fraud case are Somali-Americans, with over 50 having pleaded guilty as of early 2026; Somalis make up about 1.5% of Minnesota's population (approximately 86,000 out of 5.7 million residents).
Feeding Our Future — Wikipedia
Minnesota's Somali population, the largest in the U.S. at around 86,000, primarily arrived as refugees fleeing the Somali civil war starting in 1991, resettled through U.S. government refugee programs and voluntary agencies like Lutheran and Catholic charities.
How Minnesota became a hub for Somali immigrants in the U.S. — NPR
Estimated COVID-19 relief fraud in California totals at least $20 billion defrauded, with the state recovering about $6 billion, amid federal suspensions of borrowers suspected of $8.6 billion in fraud.
How California's COVID unemployment system failed its residents — CalMatters
Major causes of COVID-19 relief fraud nationwide include lack of safeguards in rapid fund distribution, use of deceased individuals' Social Security numbers, and claims across multiple states, leading to estimated losses of hundreds of billions of dollars.
How billions in COVID-19 pandemic relief aid was stolen or wasted — PBS
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