A group of Democratic attorneys general rejected Vice President JD Vance’s invitation to attend a Tuesday afternoon task force meeting on fraud.
Vance’s office sent the invitation to the democratic attorneys general on Friday, which they claimed was not a good-faith effort. Reportedly, 15 Republican attorneys general, who were invited a week before Democrats, will attend the meeting on Tuesday at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
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“While we would appreciate the opportunity to engage in serious discussions, the invitation was provided with less than one business day’s notice with no agenda,” the two dozen Democratic lawmakers wrote in a letter to Vance. “This short notice does not match the spirit of collaboration that has long defined our joint efforts with federal partners. Accordingly, we respectfully decline to attend at this time.”
A source familiar told the Washington Examiner that the event was initially planned for Republican attorneys general, but the vice president himself said it would be a shame for Democratic attorneys general not to participate, so the event was broadened. The source noted that “multiple Democrat AG offices will be represented.”
Vance was appointed chairman of a White House task force to combat fraud in March at the behest of President Donald Trump, following the fraud crisis in Minnesota’s social services programs. The vice president held his first task force meeting on March 27, along with Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, the co-chair of the fraud task force. Deputy White House chief of staff Stephen Miller also serves as a senior adviser.
The Democratic attorneys general claimed that while they “share a strong and ongoing commitment to combating fraud in all its forms,” recent cuts at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services could interfere with their ability to cut down on Medicaid fraud.
Earlier this month, Vance announced a six-month pause on new Medicare enrollments for up-and-coming home healthcare and hospice providers due to rampant fraud. During the pause, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will intensify its fraud investigations as CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz coordinates with the task force.
Vance also threatened that states that refuse to work with the federal government could lose access to federal funds for “Medicaid Fraud Control Units.” Yet Democratic attorneys general claimed in their letter that they “have invested substantially in their Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCU) to combat fraud in partnership with the federal government” and boasted about recovering hundreds of millions of dollars from
fraudsters.
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In the future, the lawmakers said they would consider another task force meeting.
“With appropriate notice and a genuine opportunity for engagement, we would welcome the chance to participate in a future meeting and contribute to a productive dialogue,” they wrote.
