‘Find $1 billion, get 1% commission’: What is Trump’s $25 million whistleblower programme

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign rally at Truist Arena at Northern Kentucky University. (AP Photo)

US President Donald Trump unveiled a $25 million whistleblower programme offering US citizens cash rewards for information that exposes fraud or fraudsters, according to Fox News.

In his crackdown on taxpayer fraud, Trump, while speaking at an Oval Office event, proposed a 1% commission for qualifying tipsters. “If you turn somebody in and you, let’s say report, and you find $1 billion, we are giving a commission to that person of 1%,” Trump said.

What is Trump’s $25 billion whistleblower programme

In an exclusive report, Fox News Digital had outlined the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program in which a White House official had described a $25 million initiative by the Justice Department that offered rewards up to $30,000 for tips leading to a key fraud conviction or significant federal enforcement action.

Who qualifies for a reward?

Under this new whistleblower incentive programme, submitting an allegation alone would not qualify a person for a reward. According to the White House official, the information must lead to a successful fraud conviction or a significant federal enforcement action, Fox News reported.

What Trump said now

However, what Trump spoke of on Tuesday pointed to a different payout structure.

Trump said journalists could also participate, subject to applicable rules and approval received from their employers.

Trump stated that citizens can report suspected theft of taxpayer dollars through the portal: fraud.gov.

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Trump said he would personally settle disputes regarding who should get a reward while describing the process in which he would decide whether competing tipsters should split a payment. “I’ll make that determination. It’ll be done expeditiously and fairly,” Trump said.

Why the initiative?

Vance said the idea of the programme came through a conversation with Trump about recruiting Americans to help uncover fraud. The reward adds a public tip incentive to the government’s broader campaign against fraud in federal benefits programmes.

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