Trump Unveils Anti-Fraud Program Paying Whistleblowers a 1% Commission on Fraud They Uncover
A bounty on federal fraud
Trump has revealed his new anti-fraud program set up to reward people who expose fraud with a 1% commission on the money uncovered. "If you turn somebody in and you, let's say report and you find $1 billion, we are giving a commission to that person of 1%," the president said, announcing the program in the Oval Office on Tuesday alongside Vice President JD Vance.
The program, the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, or WHIP, is funded at $25 million and will be administered by the Justice Department. Anyone can submit a tip at fraud.gov, and the White House says tips that lead to a fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action are eligible for a reward of up to $30,000. Trump presented a $10,000 check at the event to Nick Shirley, the influencer whose videos last year alleged fake childcare centers were collecting federal subsidies in Minnesota.
Where the president's version and the fine print differ
Trump described the 1% commission as uncapped, and said a tip would not necessarily need to produce criminal charges to pay out, while the program's published guidelines tie rewards to qualifying enforcement outcomes with the $30,000 figure stated on the reporting site. Reporters pressed on the gap, and Trump said he would resolve disputes personally: "I will be the arbitrator of all these decisions," he said. "It'll be a binding arbitration." He added that journalists can participate in the program.
Vance, who has led the administration's anti-fraud task force since it was created in March, said tax dollars are being stolen and framed the program as an open invitation: "The president has said it must stop. It is stopping. And if you want to help us stop it, you get to share in the rewards." The early subject areas are healthcare fraud and fraud in programs like SNAP, unemployment insurance, student aid and housing, with hospice, home health and day care named as a focus.
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Options market and stocks to watch
A public bounty on program fraud is an enforcement headline for every company whose revenue runs through federal health and benefits programs. Managed care names with heavy Medicaid exposure, like UNH and CNC, are the ones that reprice when fraud crackdowns widen from rhetoric into case volume, and government services contractors trade on the same enforcement cycle.
The number to watch is case flow: whether WHIP tips convert into DOJ charges at a rate that makes the $25 million fund a recurring program rather than a one-off announcement. Follow enforcement and health policy stories on the Unusual Whales news feed.
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