Benefits fraud is long-standing in both blue and red states : NPR
NPR••general
Key Points:
- The Trump administration has frozen social services funding for five Democratic-led states—California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York—citing alleged extensive benefits fraud, particularly involving immigrants, though no evidence has been provided.
- A New York district judge temporarily blocked the funding freeze, and the affected states have filed lawsuits arguing the move is unlawful and politically motivated.
- Experts acknowledge that the U.S. safety-net system's complexity and federal-state funding structure create opportunities for fraud, mostly committed by providers or outside scammers rather than recipients, with most offenders being U.S. citizens.
- The issue was reignited by unsubstantiated fraud allegations targeting Somali American daycare centers in Minnesota, which have fueled political controversy amid a longstanding benefits fraud scandal
