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Trump Unveils Fraud Tip Rewards Program, Says He Will Be the 'Arbitrator' of Payouts

Writer: Yossi Schmidt
Yossi Schmidt
12 minutes ago
3 min read

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on Tuesday unveiled a federal program that pays cash to people whose tips lead to fraud charges, and Trump said he would personally decide disputes over who gets paid.

The Justice Department calls it the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, or WHIP. In a press release, the department described it as "the first ever whistleblower rewards program that pays an up-front award for tips leading to criminal charges." The Treasury Department is committing $25 million to the program, according to the release.

Trump announced it in the Oval Office alongside Vance and independent journalist Nick Shirley, according to Fox News and the New York Post.

What the Justice Department Announced

According to the Justice Department, WHIP will pay whistleblowers $10,000 to $30,000 for information leading to criminal charges in certain areas. Most existing government reward programs pay only after a criminal case is fully resolved, including forfeiture and appeals, the department said. WHIP pays after charges are filed.

The program covers federal health care offenses and fraud on programs run by the Departments of Agriculture, Labor, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Education, Veterans Affairs and War, plus the Small Business Administration. For health care fraud, the department said it will prioritize tips involving hospice, home health care, day care and special services.

Awards will be made "in the Justice Department's sole discretion following the filing of criminal charges," the release says. The release directs the public to america.gov/fraud. Trump told reporters tips can be filed at fraud.gov, according to Fox News and the Washington Examiner.

"Protecting the American people from fraud remains a top priority for the Department of Justice," Attorney General Todd Blanche said in the release. "I urge all Americans to use this program and play an active role in bringing fraudsters to justice."

Trump's 1% Offer

Trump described a bigger payout than the one in the department's written terms. "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%," Trump said, according to Fox News. Fox reported that Trump's remarks "outlined a different payout structure" from the one a White House official described before the event.

Trump said he would settle disputes himself. "I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions," he said, according to the New York Post. "I'll determine whether or not the person is deserving, and I'll determine, and I will be very generous… I'll make that determination. It'll be done expeditiously and fairly, and we won't have long lines waiting or court cases."

Trump also invited reporters to take part, calling journalism "not a very profitable thing to do — but it's a very important thing to do," the Post reported. Fox News reported that Trump said journalists' participation would be subject to applicable rules and their employers' approval.

Vance and Shirley

Vance chairs the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which Trump created in March. "If you want to help us stop it, you get to share in the rewards," Vance said, according to Fox News.

On the 1% commission, Vance said, "our plan is not to limit this just to criminal prosecutions… if you find the money and you help us recover it, then you benefit from the program," the Post reported.

The Washington Examiner reported that Shirley received the program's first payout. Shirley drew national attention in December 2025 with a video questioning whether several Minnesota day care centers were operating as real businesses, Fox News reported. "Instead of the mainstream media investigating the fraud they investigated me," Shirley said at the event, according to Fox.

How It Compares

The government already pays for some fraud tips. A longstanding IRS program pays 15% to 30% of recovered funds for tax fraud tips, and the False Claims Act allows awards of 15% to 30% in cases involving fraud on government money, the New York Post reported.

Vance argued those programs leave a gap. "Over 99% of the fraud that we're finding in the federal government isn't covered by the False Claims Act," he said, according to the Post.

The Justice Department said WHIP participants can still qualify for awards through other programs, including its Criminal Division's Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program. The program's terms are posted at justice.gov/fraud/whistleblower.

Hold Everyone Accountable.

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