Tag: welfare

DHS allows officers to review visa applicants’ use of welfare programs while considering permanent status qualification

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a final rule overturning a 2022 regulation from former President Joe Biden’s administration to allow immigration officers to consider an applicant’s use of welfare programs to determine if they qualify for permanent legal citizenship.

In a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) news release on Thursday, the DHS held that the decision will better align immigration law with “Congressional intent that aliens in the United States be self-reliant and not dependent on taxpayer-funded government benefits.”

Furthermore, under the 1952 Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), a person applying for a visa, admission, or adjustment of status is ineligible “because of the likelihood of becoming a public charge.”

“With this final rule, USCIS officers are empowered to assess all pertinent facts on a case-by-case basis for each applicant,” the DHS stated.

“The Trump administration is upholding the rule of law and protecting American taxpayers from subsidizing aliens who may become dependent on public benefits. USCIS is committed to safeguarding the safety, security, and financial well-being of Americans,” said USCIS spokesperson Zach Kahler. 

The rule will be effective on September 18th. A revised version of Form I-485, used to apply for permanent residence or adjust one’s status, will be released. The new version of the form will be required after the effective date.

The new policy could impact hundreds of thousands of migrants seeking green cards every year from inside the U.S., as well as deter migrant households from applying for taxpayer-funded social programs, such as Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).

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Dr. Oz claims NY Medicaid program is being ripped off by Chinese crime syndicate

Federal Medicaid czar Dr. Mehmet Oz said New York’s overblown $110 billion spending on medical bills is sickening — as he claimed Chinese crime syndicates are ripping off the Empire State.

The TV doctor-turned-Trump administration official, blasted New York’s Medicaid program as rife with fraud in an interview Sunday as he outlined an alleged scheme that included millions of dollars in fraudulent medical bills.

“Social safety net programs are being defrauded. They’re being hurt oftentimes by foreign governments or foreign-run criminal syndicate organizations,” Oz, administrator of the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said Sunday on 77 WABC ‘s the “Cats Roundtable” program.

Oz recently toured Flushing, Queens where a cluster of 64 social adult care centers operate — mostly serving ethnic Chinese and Korean senior citizens. Officials claim the center and pharmacies have generated massive amounts of questionable bills to Medicaid, a public insurance program intended to help the needy.

The social centers arguably shouldn’t be propped up by taxpayers, Oz said. The federal government covers more than half of Medicaid’s costs, with the state and local governments covering the rest.

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Bureaucratic NIGHTMARE – Marietta, GA Woman Mistakenly Declared Dead By Medicare, Left Without Coverage

In mid-June, WSB-TV news (Atlanta) reported that an elderly woman was mistakenly declared dead by Medicare and left without coverage!

Wrong, Medicare. She was very much alive and interviewed by the Atlanta media outlet.

The TV news presenters introduced the segment: “An 88-year-old Cobb County woman should be recovering right now in a rehab facility, after a hospital stay for heart problems. But instead her Medicare coverage has been cancelled because Medicare thinks she’s DEAD.”

The result was that she couldn’t get the care she needed right then.

The TV news reporter said that someone typed “deceased” into her medical records instead of “discharged”.

Her daughter said the results since have been “an avalanche of chaos”.

“I am alive, very much,” the 88-year-old woman told WSB-TV news.

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Minneapolis Daycare Owner Fahima Egeh Mahamud Pleads Guilty to $5.45M Fraud in Child Care and Feeding Our Future Schemes

Fahima Egeh Mahamud, former CEO of Future Leaders Early Learning Center in Minneapolis, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. She admitted to schemes that fraudulently obtained more than $4.6 million from Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) through false claims and approximately $850,000 by falsely claiming to serve thousands of meals daily (at times up to 60,000 per month) through the federal Feeding Our Future nutrition program.

Prosecutors noted that her center received the highest amount of CCAP funding in Minnesota in 2025 (around $3.7 million that year alone, with over $10 million across recent years). Much of the money was allegedly used for personal gain, including real estate purchases, while minimal or no services were provided. Mahamud reportedly attempted to flee the country, booking a flight to London on the same day she notified the state of the center’s closure.

The daycare, located near George Floyd Square at 36th and Chicago Avenue, gained national attention after appearing in a viral December 2025 video by independent YouTuber Nick Shirley. His investigation into apparently empty or minimally operational taxpayer-funded facilities prompted intensified state and federal scrutiny across Minnesota. The center closed in January 2026.

Under her plea agreement, Mahamud faces a recommended sentence of 27–33 months in prison. She has been released on conditional bond pending sentencing, which has not yet been scheduled.

Mahamud’s case is part of the massive Feeding Our Future scandal, one of the largest pandemic-era fraud schemes in the U.S., involving roughly $250–350 million in alleged losses from federal child nutrition programs. By mid-2026, dozens of defendants had been convicted or pleaded guilty. The nonprofit claimed to serve millions of meals that were never provided.

Minnesota has seen multiple related probes into child care and social service fraud. In May 2026, federal authorities charged 15 defendants in a broader health care and benefits fraud takedown involving over $90 million, including additional child care cases. Earlier investigations revealed overbilling and weak oversight in CCAP, with critics pointing to insufficient verification of attendance and services.

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Trump Admin Targets Medicare Fraud After 7,100% Surge In Transplant Claims

The Trump administration says it has uncovered a dramatic increase in Medicare claims for tissue and organ transplants, resulting in a broad crackdown on suspected fraud that officials say has already blocked hundreds of millions of dollars in questionable payments.

Administration officials said Medicare claims for tissue and organ transplants, known as allografts, climbed from $200 million in 2019 to $14.4 billion in 2025—a 7,100 percent increase.

The surge led the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force, headed by Vice President JD Vance, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to intensify their review of claims. Since March, the agency has denied 96 percent of allograft claims identified during the review.

CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said the agency identified 4,200 potentially fraudulent allograft claims totaling $224 million through May.

“That’s a lot of money,” Oz said during a Wednesday news conference in Milwaukee.

“And that bankrupts not just hospital systems and physician groups, but it causes major problems across the entire landscape.”

The agency also announced enforcement actions involving Durable Medical Equipment (DME) including wheelchairs, walkers, hospital beds and other medical equipment.

According to CMS, payments have been suspended to 102 suppliers, while billing privileges have been revoked for another 725 suppliers. The agency said those suppliers accounted for 8.6 percent of all Medicare-funded DME in 2025.

CMS officials reported they identified suspected fraud involving claims for equipment that was not medically necessary or ordered, equipment that was more expensive than prescribed, and equipment that was never delivered.

“In just six months, the task force has effectively wiped out Durable Medical Equipment fraud in America,” a spokesperson for Vance’s office said.

“After the vice president and Dr. Oz announced a moratorium on new DME companies, paired with aggressive enforcement actions by DOJ and HHS, this kind of fraud has effectively ended.”

Oz said the administration’s efforts have already prevented significant losses.

“Thanks to the whole-of-government approach spearheaded by the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force, we stopped nearly $220 million in fraudulent skin substitute claims and suspended or revoked billing privileges for over 800 DME suppliers,” Oz told Fox News Digital. “We are keeping our promise to the American people: we will root out corruption, protect vulnerable patients, and hold every bad actor accountable.”

Oz also warned those engaged in health care fraud that the administration intends to continue its enforcement campaign.

“To anyone out there, and I’m talking to you if you’re a fraudster, for anyone out there who thinks they can get away by stealing from the American people, especially American patients, I’ve got a bit of advice for you: Do not walk away from this press conference. Don’t walk away from us. You start running because the vice president and this task force are coming after you,” Oz said.

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Not Making Headlines: Dr. Oz Announces Crackdown on Durable Medical Equipment Fraudsters and Fraudulent Medicare Tissue and Organ Transplant Claims – Saving American Taxpayers Millions

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced on Thursday that 725 durable medical equipment suppliers had their billing privileges revoked.

According to Dr. Oz, these suppliers represent more than $1.5 billion billed to Medicare just last year!

In just six months Dr. Oz and the Trump administration have effectively wiped out Durable Medical Equipment (DMS) fraud in America.

Dr. Oz and the Trump Administration also cracked down on fraudulent Medicare claims for tissue and organ transplants.

Pro Trump News and IJR reported:

The Trump administration says a dramatic increase in Medicare claims for tissue and organ transplants has led to a nationwide fraud crackdown that is blocking millions of dollars in suspicious billing.

According to Fox News, new figures released Wednesday show Medicare claims for allografts, or tissue and organ transplants, climbed from approximately $200 million in 2019 to $14.4 billion in 2025.

Administration officials said the 7,100% increase prompted a closer review by the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

CMS, led by Administrator Mehmet Oz, said it identified about 4,200 suspicious transplant claims totaling $224 million through May. Since March, the agency has denied 96% of claims submitted in that category.

Speaking in Milwaukee, Oz said the sharp rise in billing posed a significant financial threat.

“That’s a lot of money,” he said. “And that bankrupts not just hospital systems and physician groups, but it causes major problems across the entire system.”

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90,000 Haitians live in Massachusetts and only 10,000 are working…

Even though the Supreme Court has put out some disastrous duds, they’ve also handed President Trump major victories as well. They cleared the way for his team to end Temporary Protected Status for tens of thousands of Haitian migrants. What does TPS mean, exactly? Well, in short, when a foreigner is on TPS, they don’t have to work, and there’s no risk of being deported.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) does not require you to work. Instead, it gives eligible individuals the legal permission to work in the U.S. and protects them from deportation. TPS does not require you to hold a job; it simply provides the legal right to work if you choose to.

So, if they’re not holding down a job, they’re collecting welfare and mooching off the American taxpayer.

The good news is that President Trump can now begin deporting them.

Of course, the reaction from the left came in fast and furious style. The same crowd that exploded with outrage when President Trump called Haiti a “shithole” country years ago, flooding social media with beautiful beach photos and travel brochures, is now arguing that sending migrants back would be a death sentence because Haiti is simply too dangerous.

Western Lensmen:

Jan 2018. Democrats and the media were apoplectic over Trump’s “shithole” comments, and were engaged in a campaign to defend Haiti.

Here, Anderson Cooper explains to Conan what an “amazing,” “incredible” and “culturally rich” place it is, and how he loves to spend his weekends and vacation time there.

Conan then went to Haiti and posed for the infamous “beautiful country” photo while sipping a drink out of a coconut.

Now, Dems and the media are telling you it would mean suffering or death for anyone to be sent back there.

Their narrative is wholly dependent on what is deemed to be politically useful at any given time.

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DOJ Sues States Over Alleged Failure To Turn Over Food Stamp Data

The Trump administration has sued four states, accusing them of withholding crucial data on food stamp applicants.

Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania refused to turn over information to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that would let federal officials identify fraud, Trump administration lawyers said in lawsuits filed on June 26 against the states.

Officials are asking judges to enter injunctions that would force state authorities to hand over the last five years of applications for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the food stamp program known as SNAP.

The USDA requested the SNAP data in 2025, citing an executive order from President Donald Trump that directed agencies to stop waste, fraud, and abuse, and many states complied with the request.

Data from those states showed that states had enrolled some 186,000 people in SNAP despite those people being deceased, among the discrepancies that added up to $3 billion in wasteful spending, the department said in a report.

The government spends nearly $100 billion a year on SNAP.

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US SNAP Payment-Error-Rate Hits High Of 10.62%

The national payment error rate for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) hit 10.62 percent for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, far exceeding the 6 percent threshold set by Congress.

“While this is a modest decrease from FY 2024, the FY 2025 rate still shows significant waste at the state level,“ the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said in a June 24 statement.

”Including both overpayments and underpayments, this year’s rate represents a collective $10.1 billion in improper payments nationwide.”

The payment error rate measures how accurately states calculate SNAP eligibility and the amounts that beneficiaries receive.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump last year, established a State Quality Control Incentive provision under which states must pay a percentage of SNAP program bills if their payment error rate exceeds a certain limit.

A state with an error rate of 6 percent to 8 percent will be required to fund 5 percent of the benefits. This scales up as error rates get higher. States with error rates of 10 percent or more must fund 15 percent of benefits.

“[This has instituted] real financial consequences for states that mismanage taxpayer dollars,” the USDA stated, noting that these rules could come into effect as soon as Oct. 1, 2027.

States with error rates exceeding 6 percent are also required to submit a Corrective Action Plan to the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, explaining how they intend to address the root causes of the high error rates. Some states may end up getting financially penalized.

“These payment error rates are further proof that state accountability is severely lacking in SNAP,” Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said.

“USDA has taken historic action to help interested states curb SNAP waste, and I hope other states, regardless of political leadership, prioritize needy families and the American taxpayer over politics.”

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Leader of Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme Arrested in Somalia

The leader of the largest Minnesota pandemic-era fraud scheme was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia, this week.

Abdikerm Eidleh, 43, was finally taken into custody this week, more than three years after he was indicted in the ‘Feeding Our Future’ fraud probe.

A total of 78 people were indicted or charged by the DOJ in connection with the $350 million Feeding Our Future scheme.

CBS News reported:

An alleged leader of the largest pandemic-era fraud scheme in the country was arrested overseas after being on the run for more than four years, according to federal officials.

Abdikerm Eidleh, 43, was arrested in Mogadishu, Somalia, earlier this week in a daytime raid coordinated by both the FBI and Somali intelligence agencies. He was indicted in September 2022 as part of the sweeping $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud investigation.

“This is a big fish,” Daniel Rosen, U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, told CBS News. “Eidleh was a key leader and was responsible for bribing and recruiting business to steal from the American taxpayer.”

Rosen said Eidleh was “second in command” to Aimee Bock, the convicted ringleader of the scheme, who was just sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.

Investigators allege Eidleh personally collected $5 million in bribes and kickbacks after instructing restaurants and catering businesses to inflate receipts submitted to the Minnesota Department of Education for reimbursement.

Earlier this month, one of the FBI’s most wanted fraud suspects in the massive Feeding Our Future scandal was finally returned to face justice.

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