The federal government has long been a check-writing machine, doling out hundreds of billions of dollars a year to fraudsters, according to the GAO. 

This hasn't been a secret, but until the Trump administration, far too little was ever done about it. A few hundred billion here, a few hundred billion there, and pretty soon you are talking about real money. 

At the low end, fraud in our federal government is almost equivalent to New Zealand's entire GDP, and at the high end, it's about the GDP of Austria or Norway. 

It's about a quarter to 60 percent of the Department of War's budget. 

That's just fraud in outlays. And then there is tax fraud, which Democrats claim to care so much about because it prevents them from spending more money that might go to the fraud they like to spend. The DOJ just announced a massive sweep that netted almost 80 fraudsters who, collectively, defrauded the feds of almost half a billion dollars. 

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One case in particular that mirrors the larger trend is LaMar Cook's. 

Cook was a top aide to Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and was arrested earlier this year for having eight kilograms of cocaine delivered to his government office. Either he really has a serious drug problem, or he is a major drug dealer. 

He got fired, as you would expect, even in a Democrat-run state. But his legal troubles didn't end there. It turns out that this model public servant is also a welfare cheat. He still collected SNAP benefits, which helped him live beyond his already nice means, including trips to Florida. 

The fraud the GAO points to occurs in state-administered programs like SNAP, which the feds fund but the states administer. That's where the Minnesota, Maine, California, Ohio, and all the other high-profile fraud you have been reading about happens, and that's exactly where the money that lets Mr. Cook live high off the hog as he awaits trial for being a cocaine kingpin comes from. 

Cook's excuse for needing SNAP was that he was fired for being a criminal, and hence having no income. But the records show he remained a spendthrift and hid household income that would have made him ineligible. 

  • Swore to the state: zero income, less than $100 in the bank, household of two (himself + his minor child).
  • Per the affidavit: his bank account held ~$13,000 in January 2026 and >$8,800 on the application date; he also received a $2,497.88 tax refund (May 2026).
  • His mother won ~$1M in the Massachusetts Lottery in early 2026 and made numerous Zelle payments to him totaling ~$12,000 (May–June 2026).
  • Undisclosed household: his fiancée and her mother lived with him; the fiancée earns >$80,000/year from Springfield Public Schools.
  • He received ~$546/month in SNAP. Benefits were used at Massachusetts grocery/retail stores and on a July 2026 trip to Florida. Surveillance and transaction records allegedly show the fiancée routinely used his EBT card despite not being on the application.

Sure, he was a drug dealer, but at least he was a good fiancée. You have to give him that. 

The US Attorney who charged him doesn't share my appreciation of Cook's loyalty, though. 

  • "The alleged conduct is simply egregious… not for those who allegedly hide income to circumvent the financial requirements, much less travel to Disney World."

Of course, not every case of welfare fraud includes a cocaine trafficker. There are the usual layabouts, con artists, and other friends of politicians or their machines. 

But what brings these cases of fraud together is state officials' indifference to keeping their books in order, and often a political motive to keep the gravy train going for people who are politically useful. That's how you end up with laws like California's "Stop Nick Shirley Act," which aim to silence people exposing fraud and protect those committing it. 

Trump's focus on eliminating fraud in state-administered programs serves many good purposes, beyond the obvious elimination of massive waste. A lot of this money goes to fraudulent individuals and businesses that funnel some of it back into the coffers of dirty politicians and help maintain the NGOs and political machines Democrats rely on to stay in power. 

Stopping the fraud is a huge blow to a massive industry of grifters, and has the salutary effect of helping cripple the Democrat Party's power base. 

No longer a conspiracy theory

US Attorney confirms shops are being setup with the sole purpose of exchanging SNAP benefits for cash

Multiple fake stores, one as small as 150 square feet cashing out as much as $480,000 in EBT per month

$7 million in food stamps turned into cash at 2 locations

“Less than 150 square feet in size, smaller than some bathrooms — stores had one register, no carriages, no hand baskets”

“One legitimate supermarket in the same area as these stores redeems approximately $80,000 in and SNAP benefits per month. Over the last 20 months, the Juswala variety store was redeeming between 3-6x that amount monthly”

The 2 fake convenient store owners caught were both from Haiti

Democrats won't be able to completely stop the Trump crackdown, but a victory this November, and especially a victory in the next presidential election, will open the floodgates to more money going to the bad guys.

Yet another reason to get out and vote.