On May 13, 2026, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance holds a press conference to discuss “anti-corruption efforts” at the Indian Treaty Room in the White House complex in Washington, DC, USA.
Evelyn HochsteinReuter
Democratic state attorneys general on Tuesday declined an invitation to the Anti-Fraud Initiative Roundtable hosted by Vice President J.D. Vance at the White House, citing the fact that they were first invited on Friday, days after Republican attorneys general were invited to attend.
In a letter dated Tuesday after the Memorial Day holiday, the 24 attorneys general told Vance: “We would appreciate the opportunity to have a serious discussion, but the invitation was communicated less than one business day later with no agenda.”
“This short notice is inconsistent with the spirit of cooperation that has long defined our joint efforts with our federal partners,” the letter said. “Therefore, I respectfully decline to attend at this time.”
Among the attorneys general who declined to appear was Keith Ellison of Minnesota, a state that has been the focus of Trump administration actions targeting an alleged Medicaid fraud scheme involving day care centers.
Some Democratic attorneys general had scheduled a press conference about the situation on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m. ET, about two hours after the roundtable was scheduled to begin at the White House.
A person familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss private details of the event, told CNBC that Tuesday’s event was originally scheduled for Republican attorneys general only, but that Vance privately said it was disappointing that Democrats would not be attending. The event will be represented by chiefs of staff and chief deputy attorneys general from several Democratic attorneys general’s offices, the person said.
“This cannot be a partisan effort,” Vance said at the beginning of the event.
“Everyone should be concerned about fraud. Everyone should be concerned about eradicating fraud,” Vance said. “Everyone should care about saving American taxpayer money, and importantly, everyone should care about actually protecting programs that only work if they’re properly funded.”
The vice president said representatives from the attorneys general’s offices from Connecticut and Oregon were also in attendance.
Politico first reported the Democratic attorney general’s decision not to appear and the letter to Vance, whom President Donald Trump appointed in March to head a new task force to combat fraud.
In addition to Vance, the event was attended by Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who serves as vice chair of the task force, and White House Counsel Stephen Miller.
As of Monday, 16 Republican attorneys general had said they would attend.
Vance on Tuesday touted his administration’s anti-corruption efforts, including the creation of a new national fraud enforcement unit within the Justice Department.
“In just two months, we have exposed billions of dollars in benefits stolen from the American people,” Vance said. “We returned more than $22 billion in fraudulent small business loans to the Treasury Department for recovery. We deferred more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements that were coming from various states, especially California. We put a six-month hold on registration of new hospice providers and home health providers because so many new hospice providers were not actually providing hospice services and were only focused on fraud.”
“We are committed to combating fraud, waste, and abuse in all state government programs, and we are proud to continue working with the federal government in this mission,” the Democratic attorneys general said in a letter to Vance.
“Social safety nets are critical, especially in light of today’s affordability crisis, and we are committed to ensuring these critical programs operate with integrity and efficiency,” the letter said.
The White House did not comment on the letter.
“Given proper notice and opportunity for genuine engagement, we welcome the opportunity to participate in future meetings and contribute to a productive dialogue,” the letter reads.
President Trump’s executive order establishing the task force targets fraud in the “massive benefits system for people in need, including housing, food, health care, and cash assistance.”
Individual states administer these programs and receive funding from the federal government.
“Minnesota alone is a prime example of the staggering fraud and waste,” the order states. “The state’s federal prosecutors estimate that the total amount of Medicaid fraud in recent years could be in the billions of dollars. Of the approximately $866 million spent on food stamps each year in Minnesota, it is estimated that nearly 9 percent was disbursed incorrectly.”
