The anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance suspended 221 hospice and healthcare providers in Los Angeles County on Thursday, a more than 215% jump from the 70 providers suspended just one week earlier.
FBI agents and SWAT teams conducted early-morning raids across the Los Angeles area Thursday as part of the crackdown. Two individuals were arrested in connection with an alleged $7 million fraud scheme, according to reports from the New York Post.
“The Administration’s War on Fraud once again yields results as more suspensions take place and fraudsters face justice for ripping off hard-working Americans and stealing their tax dollars and social services,” a Vance spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “The Vice President and his task force are proud of these latest figures and expect to see this number continue to grow dramatically.”
Administration officials say the suspensions are far from over. A senior Trump administration official told Fox News Digital the total is “expected to dramatically increase” in coming weeks.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz framed Thursday’s results as a direct comparison to California’s Democratic governor. “In 10 weeks we’re getting close to what Governor Newsom did in four years,” Oz said.
Oz made the remark alongside a broader effort targeting Los Angeles-area providers fraudulently billing federal Medicare and Medicaid programs. The Vance task force was formally unveiled in February and initially focused on fraud uncovered in Minnesota, where at least $19 billion in suspect activity was identified. Vance publicly signaled California would be next.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has denied that fraud runs unchecked in California and pushed back on what he calls federal overreach. His office said in March that the governor had blocked $125 billion in fraudulent activity and made numerous arrests.
“Gavin Newsom runs a state,” a Newsom spokesperson told Fox News. “Donald Trump runs his mouth. Again and again, we’ve shown that the programs they are attempting to call out are programs the federal government is administering, not the state. We suggest they get their house in order.”
