Welfare fraud is on the rise — and Democrats couldn’t care less

Sadly, I’ve seen a lot of fraud, waste and abuse of our tax dollars. I cut my political teeth in South Philly politics. It takes more than the usual waste, fraud, or abuse to shock me. I was counseled to “understand” the world of patronage, “taking care” of donors, and old school ward leaders and politicians doing whatever it takes to hold power. 

Yet, what is happening today in plain sight with our tax dollars — perhaps reaching over a trillion dollars being stolen over the last decade alone, often to hold partisan political power  —  would even make old-school South Philly ward leaders blush, if not cringe.

Non-existent daycare centers. Fake children registered. Scammers lying about caring for children with autism who don’t have autism. Stolen money intended to provide “free” lunches” for poor students. Fraudulent hospice care for patients that don’t exist or aren’t in need of that end-of-life, compassionate care. Medicaid spending stolen —  for patients who don’t exist, were never given care, or the level of care needed was exaggerated. SNAP benefits (what used to be called “food stamps,” now debit cards) being given to people whose income and lifestyle is not poverty, but runs into six or seven figures.

Seeing this repeatedly, across so many states and so many “safety net” programs reveals that it’s systemic fraud, waste, and abuse.

The investigations looking into subsidized daycare in Minnesota alone reveal a tragedy, an outrage and criminality. Adding insult to injury, our tax dollars were illegally funneled into fake day cares run by politically connected scammer-entrepreneurs. Some donated to politicians who were oblivious, looked the other way at best, or enabled the fraud. 

Not millions. Tens of billions. Maybe hundreds of billions. Perhaps a trillion dollars over the last decade has been stolen, wasted or misused.

At least $9 billion in Minnesota. In California, one crook alone was indicted for stealing nearly $270 million from Medicaid. A California crime ring stealing over $260 million in hospice care.

Here is some of what DOGE found: $43 billion in fraudulent Covid-era unemployment claims in 2023, $51 billion in “improper payments” for Medicaid in 2023. And, $27 billion in fraudulent Obamacare payments paying for the medical “care” of dead and non-existent people.

What if the fraud accounts for ten percent of spending; would you like ten percent of your taxes back? And to have our nation be a little less in debt?

This is not only criminal, it’s offensive — taxing money out of our pockets, and growing our national debt that will increase taxes on our children and grandchildren. Worse, these sleazy politicians and crook-entrepreneurs at the center of these crime rings have taken advantage of our compassion.

Every stolen dollar out of our pockets was taken from safety net programs, with no regard to taxpayers or those needing services.  

Where is the bipartisan outrage? The commitment to get our money back? To put these crooks in jail? To deport those involved who are here illegally or on guest-visas?

Where are our Democratic friends — the ones who are so upset with inflation? With affordability? Who complain about the “cost” of the war against the terrorist-radicals in Iran?

Why are they silent, at best? Or defenders of this fraud — this systemic thievery?

Remember these billions in waste the next time a “progressive” politician yells about “cuts” to Medicaid, or Jimmy Kimmel whines about “the poor” being neglected, or Mamdani lectures us about the rich not paying enough taxes.

To be clear, this is not your garden variety waste of our money — when Congress spends our money on the study of cow farts — or even when the donor of an influential member of Congress is awarded a no-bid contract to sell SUVs to the EPA.

Those are disgusting, arrogant, and illegal. But, at least, they’re one-offs. Still, we ought to demand that those things never happen — and the guilty are prosecuted.

All too often, these programs have grown so huge that no one is watching. So “necessary” for “the poor” that it’s politically incorrect to question the spending. The disease is systemic.

Too many Democratic politicians and left wing activists purposefully want to expand the size and power of government to create more and more of us dependent on it. Thus, any waste or fraud is either the “cost of doing business,” or “settling the score” with those who have money, but don’t deserve it in the eyes of the progressives.

We hear a lot from our Democratic friends about “affordability,” “compassion” and “justice.” It’s become crystal clear that these cries are all too often meaningless political rhetoric to win elections. If they care about affordability, the poor or those in need — they’d be angrier than Republicans.

DOGE uncovered the tip of the tip of an iceberg. And, tragically, there are several icebergs.

What has been taking place systematically, repeatedly and openly, is so vile, abusive, and immoral that people should be hauled away in caravans and their trials ought to be public — with live testimony, charts and graphs. The programs need to be cancelled and started afresh — and everyone connected should go to jail and be forced to repay us, even if it bankrupts them.

Guy Ciarrocchi writes for Broad + Liberty and RealClear Pennsylvania. A Senior Fellow with the Commonwealth Foundation, you can now follow Guy at @PhilaFreedomGuy.