Vice President JD Vance is making his own lane for the 2028 Republican presidential primary and using his anti-fraud task force to do it.
Vance on Wednesday delivered an ultimatum to all 50 of the nation’s governors: crack down on fraud or lose federal Medicaid funding.
“Today, we are sending across 50 Medicaid programs letters that will require them to show that they are effectively and aggressively prosecuting Medicaid fraud in their states. And if they do not aggressively prosecute Medicaid fraud, we are going to turn off the money that goes to these anti-fraud units,” Vance told reporters in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building’s Indian Treaty Room.
The vice president added, “If we continue to find problems, we can turn off other resources within their state Medicaid programs as well.”
Vance is now expected to amplify the message during a swing through Maine on Thursday, where he’ll also campaign for former Republican Gov. Paul Lepage’s House bid.
The anti-fraud message provides Vance with the opportunity to present himself as an important member of the Trump administration at a time when the president and his aides are simultaneously coming under pressure over issues ranging from Iran to convicted sexual offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It also provides Vance with the opportunity to define himself in contrast not only to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is considered to be another 2028 Republican presidential contender, but also potential 2028 Democrats, including Govs. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), JB Pritzker (D-IL), and even Tim Walz (D-MN). Walz’s prospects, however, have precipitously declined since he suspended his gubernatorial reelection campaign last year after rampant fraud was uncovered in Minnesota.
To that end, Vance on Wednesday particularly targeted Newsom, who averages 19% support behind former Vice President Kamala Harris in early 2028 Democratic presidential polls.
“We’re announcing that the federal government is deferring $1.3 billion in Medicaid reimbursements from the state of California, and the simple reason is because the state of California has not taken fraud very seriously,” Vance said.
The popularity of Vance’s anti-fraud task force among Trump’s MAGA base, to which the vice president must appeal to have any hope in 2028, was emphasized in the case of Walz. The Justice Department alleged last December that half or more of the $18 billion in federal funds spent on 14 Minnesota-run programs for the likes of child nutrition, housing services, and autism since 2018 may have been pilfered.
TRUMP UNVEILS IVF INSURANCE COVERAGE PLAN FOR 2027
But despite its popularity with MAGA, Vance’s anti-fraud task force is not without political risk. Going after Medicaid could open up Vance to accusations from Democrats that he’s hampering access to healthcare for poor people. The argument is one that Democrats have relished in using against Republicans since the passage of Obamacare.
Vice presidential historian Joel Goldstein told the Washington Examiner that another possible problem for Vance is that his anti-fraud task force “may seem less important relative to voters’ concerns regarding the worsening economic conditions” and “the administration’s handling of Iran.”