Congressman Mike Kennedy of Utah’s 3rd District joined a fraud roundtable led by Representative Brandon Gill of Texas following the Daily Wire’s report on a Medicaid scam in Ohio, according to a May 27 statement. Kennedy has advanced several legislative initiatives aimed at increasing accountability and oversight across federal programs, including the Stop Childcare Funding Fraud Act, the Ensuring Medicaid Eligibility Act, and the Let’s Get to Work Act.
Kennedy said, “This criminal behavior is enriching filthy individuals who deserve to be in jail. Every dollar lost to fraud is a dollar that didn’t go to someone who needed it. That should bother all of us… Republicans and Democrats. Decades of ducking responsibility to the taxpayer have left us with $39 trillion debt. That is the crushing, unsustainable legacy we’re handing our kids unless we act.”
He continued, “When fraud happens, it’s not just the taxpayers who lose, it is the kids and families these dollars were intended to help. Utah families work hard and pay their taxes, expecting Washington to be good stewards of that money. My Stop Child Care Funding Fraud Act makes certain that fraudsters face real consequences and brings transparency to how states are spending these funds. I will continue to fight to root out waste, fraud, and abuse wherever it exists — because every federal dollar meant for America’s children must reach America’s children.”
Other members present echoed similar concerns about misuse of federal healthcare funds. RSC Vice Chair Ben Cline said, “Fraud is not a victimless crime. Fraudsters steal money from innocent people who are meant to benefit from these programs, Medicare, Medicaid, home health… One of the main weapons that we have is transparency.” Congressman Brandon Gill said, “The American people want to know that their tax dollars are actually being used for the American people, not for foreigners, not for fraudsters… Our job is to stop it, to get the bad guys in jail by issuing criminal referrals.”
The roundtable coincided with House Republicans’ push for stronger enforcement measures against healthcare program fraud and follows actions by President Trump and Vice President Vance’s White House Fraud Task Force deferring billions in Medicaid reimbursements from noncompliant states.
Members attending included Ben Cline (Virginia), Michael Cloud (Texas), Laurel Lee (Florida), Tim Burchett (Tennessee), Mike Kennedy (Utah), Abe Hamadeh (Arizona), and Ralph Norman (South Carolina). The newly formed task force chaired by Gill plans a formal investigation with subpoena power.