Vance Launches Federal Task Force To Recover California Taxpayer Funds

California used to stand for opportunity and hard work; now it reads like a dossier on how public programs get looted. This piece lays out how fraud has metastasized across unemployment, SNAP, community colleges, Medicaid and hospice care, why state leadership is failing to stop it, and what a federal response looks like to restore accountability and protect taxpayers.

I arrived in California when it still felt like the American promise—families building businesses, neighborhoods thriving. Decades later the promise has been hollowed out by schemes that drain public coffers and steal from ordinary people who actually need help. Everyday services meant to support veterans, students and struggling families are instead funding organized rings and sham participants.

The pandemic exposed the scale of the problem when criminals siphoned off roughly $32 billion from California’s unemployment system, a sum large enough to fund statewide repairs and critical services. Those thefts were not isolated; they were a warning sign that systems without proper checks become magnets for abuse. When software, policy and oversight lag, bad actors move in and taxpayers pay the price.

Food assistance and education programs were hit next, with millions diverted from SNAP and enrollment scams popping up in community colleges. AI-powered “ghost students” and paper fraud made illicit cash flow look like legitimate aid in too many offices. Meanwhile Medicaid dollars have been funneled into non-essential care and questionable hospice operations, siphoning funds away from true medical needs.

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One of the sharpest frustrations is how often those in charge answer with excuses or silence. I’ve written directly to the governor about multiple schemes and, in most cases, received no reply at all. The one response I did get dismissed the problem, saying the state could just reimburse improper federal payments instead of fixing how they happened.

That attitude treats fraud like an accounting footnote rather than a crisis that erodes trust and hurts communities. It’s not sufficient to promise repayment after the fact while leaving the loopholes open for the next wave of scammers. Taxpayers deserve leaders who take prevention and enforcement seriously before the next billion disappears.

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Let’s be blunt: this isn’t partisan theater. Cracking down on fraud is basic good government that protects everyone, not a political stunt. Resources spent on scams are resources not available for students, veterans, moms, and low-income families trying to get by. Every dollar stolen or wasted is a setback for communities already stretched thin.

Across the state, prices are up, crime is up, and the dream of owning a home is slipping out of reach for many working families. Leadership that jets abroad while these problems fester sends the wrong message to Californians who expect local officials to protect their pocketbooks. Voters see the gap between rhetoric and results, and frustration is spreading.

I’ve introduced the No More SCAMS Act to create a federal interagency task force dedicated to halting waste, fraud and abuse across programs. The idea is simple: one coordinated playbook, one team driving investigations and prevention, and clear accountability when systems fail. Agencies can no longer stumble over each other while scammers run up the score.

This is about restoring competence and common sense to public stewardship. We need better checks, stronger enforcement and smarter technology that finds abuse before it becomes catastrophic. Real reforms will target criminal networks, close loopholes and make it harder for fraud to flourish in the first place.

California is my home and I still believe in its people and potential. That’s why I won’t stop pushing for transparency, tougher oversight and federal support when state systems fail. This fight is practical, urgent and about defending taxpayers—not politics.

Working with allies in Washington and committed leaders back home, I’m focused on returning government programs to their original purpose: helping those who truly need support and safeguarding the public trust for future generations.