After pardoning nearly 30 allies, donors and other individuals convicted of federal fraud charges (money laundering, bank fraud, wire fraud) during the first year of his second presidency, President Trump announced that Vice President JD Vance would lead a Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. (Note: Trump has pardoned more than 70 fraudsters, including those given clemency during his first presidency.)
Narrating the new task force activity, on Thursday Vance announced on social media that “this morning in the LA area, federal law enforcement is taking down fraudsters who stole $50M+ from Americans by defrauding our healthcare and hospice systems.”
The administration has named the operation, “Operation Never Say Die.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom responded to Vance’s announcement: “The Trump Administration — home to the biggest fraudsters on Earth — is trying to blame California for issues with THEIR federal programs. Glad to see the Feds finally taking seriously the fraud in the programs they themselves manage…only 15 months after Trump took office.”
The Trump Administration — home to the biggest fraudsters on Earth — is trying to blame California for issues with THEIR federal programs.
Glad to see the Feds finally taking seriously the fraud in the programs they themselves manage…only 15 months after Trump took office. https://t.co/rnWF9NIezt
— Governor Gavin Newsom (@CAgovernor) April 2, 2026
Newsom added: “I banned new hospice licenses in 2021, we’ve revoked 280+ licenses in the last two years, and we’ve filed 100+ criminal cases on the issue. And we’ve also stopped $125B in identity theft-related fraud alone.”
In a press release from late March, Newsom’s office sought to delineate the responsibilities — state and federal — for the programs under fraud scrutiny, writing: “California maintains strong oversight of Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program. Meanwhile, Medicare is a federally administered program overseen by CMS, not the state. Reports referencing hospice fraud involving Medicare fall under federal jurisdiction, not California’s Medi-Cal program or state oversight.”