U.S. Reps Neal and Doggett Join Protect Our Care to Call Out Donald Trump for Pardoning Over $2 Billion in Fraud While Republicans Gutted Over $1 Trillion From American Health Care
Washington, D.C. – Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new report, “The Real Fraud: Trump Pardoned the Nation’s Biggest Health Care Fraudsters,” exposing how Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans have simultaneously gutted health care for working families while pardoning individuals convicted of major health care fraud schemes.
First reported in The American Prospect, the report outlines how Trump and Republicans cry “fraud” as a false pretext to justify their devastating cuts to American health care. In reality, Trump has granted clemency to individuals convicted of more than $2 billion in health care fraud cases. In their big, ugly bill, Trump and Republicans slashed more than $1 trillionfrom Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, ripping away life-saving coverage and raising costs all to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations.
“The American people have been forced to live through the greatest loss of health care in our nation’s history because of Republicans’ cuts, and now, as they try to turn the page from the reality of higher costs and lost coverage, they are resorting to tired talking points even as the president lets fraudsters run free,” said Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA). “Republicans love to use the guise of fighting fraud to distract from their record, but thanks to this report from Protect Our Care, it’s clear that they’re not serious about stopping it. The fact remains: as Republicans rip health care away from millions of families in the name of ‘fraud,’ they’ve turned a blind eye to President Trump’s pardon spree for the very fraudsters who stole billions from taxpayers. That hypocrisy will be on full display at today’s Ways and Means hearing where Democrats will focus on holding bad actors accountable, and Republicans will use any excuse to cut care and raise costs for everyone else.”
“Tough talk is no substitute for effective law enforcement. The Trump regime coddles fraudsters while using ‘Fraud’ as an excuse to cut essential programs upon which millions of Americans rely,” said House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Lloyd Doggett (D-TX).“He has pardoned more fraudsters than any president in U.S. history, including health care criminals. This important report lays out the facts that HHS Secretary Kennedy, in his pitiful performance before the House Ways & Means Committee, failed to acknowledge. Showing the same permissiveness toward health care fraud, Dr. Oz, who Kennedy directs, reinstated 850 insurance agents and brokers who were suspended by the Biden Administration for suspected fraud. Both officials are unable to confirm whether these suspects were even investigated or monitored after sudden reinstatement. We need accountability from a regime that shows more interest in helping fraudsters than protecting taxpayers and consumers.”
“Hard-working families are losing their health care and paying more every day, while Donald Trump is handing out ‘get out of jail free’ cards to the biggest health care fraudsters in the country,” said Protect Our Care Director of Policy Programs Vaishu Jawahar. “Republicans talk about ‘fraud’ like it’s a rallying cry, but they only use it as a cover to rip away health care from millions of Americans who depend on it to survive. At the same time, they are pardoning people who stole from Medicare and Medicaid, ripping off taxpayers for millions and even billions of dollars, while pretending to be tough on abuse in the system. This isn’t a crackdown on fraud. It’s a choice to reward corruption and make working families pay the price.”
Key Points
- This report details 15 times Trump pardoned health care fraudsters, who collectively defrauded the federal government of over $2 billion in taxpayer money.
- Trump doesn’t care about fraud; he pardoned 70+ fraudsters during his time in office, including countless donors, allies, and celebrities.
- Trump ripped health care away from 15 million Americans, including seniors, children, veterans, and people with disabilities, in the name of fraud to hide the unpopular truth: he cut over $1 trillion from the health care programs working Americans rely on, to bankroll tax breaks for his billionaire donors and corporations.
- While one in three Americans skip meals or other needs to afford health care and millions of working Americans lose sleep over their health care bills thanks to Trump’s cuts, some of the biggest health care fraudsters in the nation are sleeping consequence-free in their multimillion-dollar mansions thanks to Trump’s pardons.
