Whistleblowers could receive big reward for exposing fraudsters stealing American tax dollars



Whistleblowers who report financial fraud could receive a significant payout from the Trump administration.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a new program on Monday to pay eligible whistleblowers for providing actionable tips related to fraud, money laundering, sanctions violations, and other national security laws.

'The scale of this is unbelievable.'

The Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network submitted a proposed rule to implement the new program.

Fraud whistleblowers could receive 10% to 30% of the fines imposed on the criminals they report.

This latest announcement is part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on fraud, an issue that has remained in the national spotlight following journalist Nick Shirley's investigative reporting in Minnesota and California.

"As promised, Treasury will reward whistleblowers who provide timely, actionable information on fraud, sanctions violations, and other significant illicit finance activity," Bessent stated. "President Trump has been clear that Americans have a right to know that their tax dollars are not being diverted to fund acts of global terror or to fund luxury cars for fraudsters. At Treasury, we follow the money, and we strongly encourage individuals to come forward with credible tips to help safeguard our financial system."

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Scott Bessent. Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The Treasury Department has already received over 700 leads, according to Bessent.

During an interview with Fox News, Bessent explained that "a lot" of the financial fraud could be attributed to COVID relief.

"Many of the agencies under the Biden administration gutted their fraud departments, their fraud detection, or took down the fraud detection to get the money out quickly for COVID relief. But they never brought back the guardians of our money. So we have to have integrity in these programs," Bessent told the news outlet.

Bessent estimated that the federal government may be able to recoup hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer funds.

"The scale of this is unbelievable," Bessent said.

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Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Vice President JD Vance has been tapped to lead the administration's new Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. Last week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that it had suspended 70 hospice and home health providers as part of its work with the task force to identify high-risk providers.

"Vice President Vance looks forward to carrying out the president's war on fraud," a spokesperson for Vance previously told Blaze News. "The American people deserve better than being ripped off by people who hate this country, and the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud will ensure that essential taxpayer-funded services are used to support the hardworking Americans who rely on them, instead of being used by fraudsters and criminals."

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Blue-state ‘Grinches’ are stealing your tax relief, says Treasury Secretary Bessent



Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent mocked blue-state leaders as "the Grinches Who Stole Christmas" for blocking tax relief for Americans.

On Wednesday, Bessent posted an AI-generated image of Democrat Governors Kathy Hochul of New York, Jared Polis of Colorado, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois as grinches.

'This partisan stonewalling is a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion.'

"Thanks to @POTUS, 'tis the season to be jolly — unless you're a taxpayer in New York, Colorado, Illinois, or the District of Columbia," Bessent wrote. "For millions of hardworking Americans, @GovKathyHochul, @GovofCO @jaredpolis, and @GovPritzker are The Grinches Who Stole Christmas."

"Courtesy of their Scrooge-like tendencies, America's seniors, along with all workers who would benefit from No Tax on Tips and No Tax on Overtime, will be robbed of the tax relief they deserve," Bessent continued. "The Christmas season should be a time of great cheer. But due to the Trump Derangement Syndrome of these Governors and other radical leftists, too many low- and middle-income households will receive nothing but coal in their state tax stockings."

President Donald Trump's July 4 bill eliminates taxes on tips for service-industry workers and on overtime for linemen and factory workers. It also provides a tax deduction for seniors receiving Social Security.

A Wednesday press release from the Treasury Department accused the Democrat leaders of "political obstructionism" for "deliberately blocking their own residents from receiving these historic benefits at the state level."

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J.B. Pritzker, Kathy Hochul. Photo: Allison Robbert/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"This partisan stonewalling is a direct assault on the very families and workers liberal politicians claim to champion. By denying their residents access to these important tax cuts, these governors and legislators are forcing hardworking Americans to shoulder higher state tax burdens, robbing them of the relief they deserve and exacerbating the financial squeeze on low- and middle-income households," the department's press release read.

States are not required to adhere to all federal tax provisions. New York is introducing new codes to its tax form, requiring residents to pay taxes on tips and overtime. Colorado plans to require residents to report the amount of overtime pay that was deducted federally and then add it back for state tax purposes. Illinois is expected to adopt similar updates to its tax form to add pay deducted federally.

New York has been ranked the worst state in the country for taxes. The state's overall tax burden is estimated at 12.02%, while Illinois' is 9.67% and Colorado's is 8.42%.

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Jared Polis. Photo by Hyoung Chang/Denver Post/Getty Images

Polis responded to Bessent's comments in a post on X, claiming that Colorado has reduced taxes.

"Colorado has cut our income tax three times, and unlike these measures in Trump's law, those cuts are permanent," Polis wrote. "While the Secretary is supporting Trump's tariff taxes, we are delivering real relief through the most generous child tax credit in the nation and cutting poverty. Spend less time talking about tips, which Colorado conforms to and won't be subject to state or federal income tax up to the level designated in HR1 and instead focus on lowering interest rates, costs and bringing down the price of goods ahead of Christmas by eliminating these draconian tariffs. Happy holidays, Secretary — may your stockings be full of facts, not coal."

In response to Bessent's post, Hochul wrote, "Remarkable that an office once held by Alexander Hamilton is now tweeting Grinch fanfic at governors."

Pritzker's office did not respond to a request for comment.

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Inflation dips to 4-year low despite trade war hysteria: 'Americans are breathing a sigh of relief'



Inflation dipped to a four-year low despite tariff uncertainty, indicating consumer prices have barely been affected by President Donald Trump's trade war.

The annual inflation in April fell to 2.3%, which is the lowest rate since February 2021. Although Trump's tariff policies sparked fears that prices would skyrocket, the annualized inflation rate during Trump's second term so far is only at 1.6%, which is considerably slower compared to former President Joe Biden's term, which saw an 8.6% annualized inflation rate during the first 18 months.

Trump also struck two trade deals in the last week with the United Kingdom and China, alleviating consumers' concerns about market volatility.

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Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

'Every dollar is going further and workers are able to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks!'

Americans are also enjoying lower costs for essential goods like gas and groceries. Average energy prices have fallen about 1.5% since January, and food prices declined in April for the first time since Trump was president in November 2020.

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Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

The cost of apparel also fell 0.2% in April despite a slight 0.4% uptick in March. Automakers are also relatively unaffected by tariffs, with the cost of new vehicles remaining unchanged, while used car prices fell by 0.5%.

"For the last several years, hardworking families have faced an affordability crisis," Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement Tuesday. "Finally, with [President Trump] at the helm, Americans are breathing a sigh of relief — every dollar is going further and workers are able to keep more of their hard-earned paychecks!"

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The underlying wins in Trump's first GDP report



The Department of Commerce released the first GDP report of President Donald Trump's second term on Wednesday, sending critics into a frenzy.

The legacy media's coverage of the report reiterates the same claim: The economy "shrank." But between the lines, the report paints a different, more promising picture.

On its face, the report shows that the economy contracted at a 0.3% rate in the first quarter as a result of the ongoing trade war and tariff uncertainty. Despite this, former Vice Chair of the Federal Reserve Richard Clarida argued that this figure was "distorted" and predicted it would be revised upward.

'It's no surprise the leftovers of Biden's economic disaster have been a drag on economic growth, but the underlying numbers tell the real story of the strong momentum President Trump is delivering.'

"Not really much of a surprise," Clarida said. "I do think the Q1 numbers were probably distorted by that huge surge in imports to front-run the tariffs, and I think could be revised up slightly. So the final number may be closer to zero."

"I do think probably that the Fed will probably try to look through this number because of those distortions. ... Maybe the headline number is a bit misleading this time," Clarida added.

As Clarida pointed out, these distortions are overshadowing key indicators that would suggest the economy is actually building momentum.

For example, consumer spending outpaced government spending by 3.2 percentage points, which has been the strongest figure since the Q2 report back in 2022. Consumer spending is a strong indicator of economic health that can lead to several positive outcomes like GDP growth, increasing demand, and job creation.

The report found that inflation has also halted, with the PCE price index showing zero increase in costs from February to March. This is a promising figure compared to the 0.3% increase in costs in January.

"It's no surprise the leftovers of Biden's economic disaster have been a drag on economic growth, but the underlying numbers tell the real story of the strong momentum President Trump is delivering," press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement Wednesday.

While the GDP has contracted overall, the core GDP grew a robust 3%, which the administration said "signals strong underlying economic momentum." Gross domestic investment also soared 22% in the first quarter, which was the highest in four years.

"Robust core GDP, the highest gross domestic investment in four years, job growth, and trillions of dollars in new investments secured by President Trump are fueling an economic boom and setting the stage for unprecedented growth as President Trump ushers in the new golden age," Leavitt said.

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FBI responds to Tesla attacks by launching task force



The FBI has formed a dedicated task force to put a stop to the ongoing attacks against Elon Musk's Tesla.

Musk's electric vehicle company has been the target of recent attacks from the left after he began serving as a senior adviser to President Donald Trump. Musk has been working alongside the president and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency to root out waste and fraud within the federal government.

'There are definitely people behind this, and not just the solo actors.'

The FBI has received 48 reports of attacks on Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations so far this month. The bureau is investigating at least seven of those incidents alongside local law enforcement, the New York Post reported Monday.

According to the news outlet, the onslaught of destructive strikes prompted the FBI to launch a dedicated 10-person task force consisting of special agents and intelligence analysts from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Department of Treasury and the FBI's Counterterrorism Division.

Additionally, the ATF is placing personnel in FBI field offices, beginning with San Antonio, Texas. So far, there have been destructive protests in at least nine states.

The FBI issued a public safety announcement about the recent attacks on Saturday.

"FBI warns of nationwide incidents—arson, gunfire, and vandalism targeting Tesla EVs, dealerships, and charging stations in 9+ states, linked to political grievances," it read.

It noted that the perpetrators of the crimes against the company are attacking those they "perceive to be racists, fascists, or political opponents."

The bureau urged the public to be vigilant near Tesla-owned locations.

The Trump administration has vowed to hold the bad actors accountable for their crimes against Musk and Tesla.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has referred to the attacks as "domestic terrorism."

While the FBI claimed that the attacks were committed by "lone offenders," others, including Musk, are convinced someone is funding and organizing the destruction.

Musk has speculated that leftist organizations are behind the attacks.

Sierra One Consulting founder and former FBI agent Rob D'Amico told "Fox and Friends" on Monday, "What they [the FBI] really need to do is start looking at the conspiracy."

"Where are they getting their information? Who's inciting them, and who's encouraging them? There are definitely people behind this, and not just the solo actors," D'Amico said. "I do think there's coordination in there. I do think there's conspiracy behind it, and I think we'll be able to see the funding if we do it right. And that's what the FBI does great."

Action Network, a left-wing group, is encouraging a "TeslaTakedown" protest on March 29, dubbed the "Global Day of Action." Its website features a map of Tesla locations where activists are encouraged to protest.

"Sell your Teslas, dump your stock, join the picket lines," Action Network's site reads. "We're tanking Tesla's stock price to stop Musk."

The group claims that Musk is "destroying our democracy, and he's using the fortune he built at Tesla to do it."

"We are taking action at Tesla to stop Musk's illegal coup," it adds. "Tesla Takedown is a peaceful protest movement. We oppose violence, vandalism and destruction of property. This protest is a lawful exercise of our First Amendment right to peaceful assembly."

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Clinton-appointed judge orders Trump to 'immediately' rehire fired workers



On Thursday, a judge ordered the Trump administration to "immediately" rehire tens of thousands of probationary employees terminated from six federal agencies.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup, appointed by former President Bill Clinton, called the Office of Personnel Management's decision to lay off the federal workers "unlawful," a "sham," and a "gimmick," Politico reported. He insisted that President Donald Trump's administration had circumvented legal requirements by arguing the terminations were performance-based, which he claimed was not the case.

'The Government has engaged in an illegal scheme spanning broad swaths of the federal workforce.'

"It is a sad, sad day when our government would fire some good employee and say it was based on performance when they know good and well that's a lie," Alsup stated.

He demanded that the Departments of Defense, Treasury, Energy, Interior, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs rehire the probationary employees. Yet, Alsup also noted that the agencies have the authority to implement "reductions in force."

"The words that I give you today should not be taken that some wild-and-crazy judge in San Francisco said that an administration cannot engage in a reduction in force," Alsup said. "It can be done, if it's done in accordance with the law."

During a Thursday hearing, Alsup accused the DOJ's legal team of being "afraid" to have individuals cross-examined because it "would reveal the truth."

"I tend to doubt that you're telling me the truth," the judge said. "I'm tired of seeing you stonewall on trying to get at the truth."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Helland insisted that the directive to terminate the employees "was not an order by OPM."

"Everybody knew the new administration was prioritizing this and the political appointments wanted to comply with that administration priority," Helland explained.

The Government Executive reported that the judge's rehire order impacts roughly 24,000 probationary workers who were fired last month.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accused Alsup of "attempting to unconstitutionally seize the power of hiring and firing from the Executive Branch."

"The President has the authority to exercise the power of the entire executive branch — singular district court judges cannot abuse the power of the entire judiciary to thwart the President's agenda," Leavitt remarked. "If a federal district court judge would like executive powers, they can try and run for president themselves."

The DOJ filed a notice to appeal.

On Thursday evening, a second federal judge, U.S. District Judge James Bredar, issued a temporary restraining order, calling for more than a dozen federal agencies to temporarily reinstate terminated workers.

The judge wrote, "In this case, the government conducted massive layoffs, but it gave no advance notice. It claims it wasn't required to because, it says, it dismissed each one of these thousands of probationary employees for 'performance' or other individualized reasons."

"On the record before the Court, this isn't true. There were no individualized assessments of employees. They were all just fired. Collectively," he added.

The Trump administration has terminated approximately 200,000 probationary employees across the federal government.

"When, as is likely the case here, the Government has engaged in an illegal scheme spanning broad swaths of the federal workforce, it is inevitable that the remediation of that scheme will itself be a significant task," Bredar stated.

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