U.S. Vice President JD Vance holds a press conference to discuss “anti-fraud initiatives” in the Indian Treaty Room at the White House complex in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 13, 2026.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Democratic state attorneys general declined an invitation to Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud initiatives roundtable at the White House on Tuesday, citing the fact that they were only invited on Friday, days after their Republican counterparts were asked to attend.
“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 24 attorneys general wrote Vance in a letter dated Tuesday, after the Memorial Day holiday.
“This short notice does not match the spirit of collaboration that has long defined our joint efforts with federal partners,” the letter said. “Accordingly, we respectfully decline to attend at this time.”
Among the attorneys general who declined to attend is Keith Ellison of Minnesota, whose state has been the focus of Trump administration actions targeting alleged Medicaid fraud schemes involving day care centers.
Some of the Democratic attorneys general scheduled a press conference about the situation for 4:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday, about two hours after the roundtable is scheduled to begin at the White House.
A person familiar with the situation, who asked not to be named in order to speak about non-public details of the event, told CNBC that Tuesday’s event was originally planned only for Republican attorneys general but that Vance personally said it would be a shame if Democrats did not participate. That person said the offices of multiple Democratic attorneys general would be represented at the event by their chiefs of staff or principal deputy attorneys general.
“This should not be a partisan effort,” Vance said at the beginning of the event.
“Everybody should care about fraud. Everybody should care about rooting out fraud,” Vance said. “Everybody should care about saving the American taxpayers money, and importantly, everybody should care about actually protecting the programs that only work and are only properly funded.”
The vice president also said that representatives from the offices of the attorneys general of Connecticut and Oregon were in attendance.
Politico first reported the decision by the Democratic attorneys general not to attend and their letter to Vance, whom President Donald Trump in March appointed as chairman of the new Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
In addition to Vance, the event included Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who is vice chair of the task force, and White House advisor Stephen Miller.
As of Monday, 16 Republican attorneys general had said they would attend.
Vance on Tuesday touted the administration’s fraud prevention efforts, which have included creating a new division for national fraud enforcement within the Department of Justice.
“In just two months, we exposed billions of dollars in benefits that had been stolen from the American people,” Vance said. “We referred over $22 billion in fraudulent small business loans back to the Treasury for collection. We deferred more than $1.3 billion in fraudulent Medicaid reimbursements that were coming from various states, particularly California. We put a six-month hold on enrollments for new hospice and home health care providers, because so many of the newer hospice providers were not actually providing hospice services, but were just focused on fraud.”
In their letter to Vance, the Democratic attorneys general said, “We are committed to stopping fraud, waste, and abuse in all government programs across our states, and are proud of our continued partnership with the federal government in this mission.”
“The social safety net is critical — especially given today’s affordability crisis — and we are dedicated to ensuring these crucial programs operate with integrity and efficiency,” the letter said.
The White House did not comment on the letter.
“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,” the letter said.
Trump’s executive order creating the task force said it would target fraud in the “vast benefits system for citizens in need that includes housing, food, medical care, cash assistance, and more.”
Individual states administer those programs, which receive federal funding.
“The staggering fraud and waste in Minnesota alone is a case in point,” the order said. “Federal prosecutors in the State estimate that Medicaid fraud in recent years could total in the billions. Nearly 9 percent of the roughly $866 million spent on food stamps in Minnesota each year is estimated to be spent in error.”
