Free Republic

As the Trump administration works on deporting the millions of illegal immigrants that the Biden administration let in through the southern border, Democrats and the left have insisted that America is "a nation of immigrants." It's just another attempt to twist words and meanings to fit their ideology. Traditionally, immigrants expected to come to the U.S. and work hard to achieve success. As if we didn't already suspect, today's immigrants appear to have a very different idea of what coming to America is.Center for Immigration Studies Director Jessica Vaughan on the burden of illegal aliens on taxpayers:“Over 60% of illegal...

Pennsylvania’s welfare fraud rate surged 165 percent in 2025, vaulting the Commonwealth to the fourth‑highest rate in the nation and raising fresh questions about whether Harrisburg and its largest cities are equipped to protect taxpayer dollars. The spike comes as the state’s primary anti‑fraud watchdog, the Office of State Inspector General, operates with long‑standing vacancies and limited independence, while major jurisdictions such as Philadelphia and Pittsburgh lack their own welfare fraud units or truly independent inspectors general with law‑enforcement authority

The new White House task force will withhold government funding for state and local benefits programs if their anti-fraud controls are viewed as lacking. IT MODERNIZATION The White House is kicking off President Donald Trump’s “war on fraud” with a focus on federally-funded benefits like housing, food and cash assistance programs. Among the tactics that a new anti-fraud task force will be pursuing is withholding government funding to state and local jurisdictions whose anti-fraud controls for benefits are deemed inadequate and increasing data-sharing between states and the federal government, according to the Monday executive order establishing the task force. Both...

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation Wednesday to crack down on illegal immigrants participating in welfare fraud despite fierce objections from most Democrats. Lawmakers voted 231-186 to approve the Deporting Fraudsters Act, with 186 Democrats opposing the measure. The bill, sponsored by Rep. David Taylor, R-Ohio, would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to explicitly define fraud as a deportable offense. Republicans said the legislation is necessary to ensure that noncitizens who steal taxpayer dollars are no longer eligible for immigration relief services or legal protections.

While guaranteed income advocates push to extend pilot programs to permanent government-sponsored cash assistance, one recipient spoke with Fox News Digital about the benefits of the policy. Austin, Texas native Taniquewa Brewster was financially supported by the city’s guaranteed income program during a critical transition period in her life as she juggled parenthood, long work hours and hoped to finish certification programs. "It helped me start out — it gave me time to take care of things that I needed to take care of. It's hard when you're working 40 hours a week, and you have five children," Brewster told...

Senator Eric Schmitt outlined a proposal aimed at expanding the federal government’s authority to revoke citizenship from individuals convicted of certain serious crimes, arguing that current law makes denaturalization extremely difficult once someone has become a U.S. citizen.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries sued the Department of Agriculture on March 11 over the issuance of waivers to five states restricting certain types of foods that can be purchased under the program.On May 19 last year, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins issued a waiver to Nebraska that bans SNAP recipients in the state from buying soda or energy drinks. As of March 4 this year, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has approved similar waivers for 22 states in total.In addition to soda and energy drinks, the additional waivers prohibit the purchase of fruit and vegetable drinks with less than...

“PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Recent federal changes are expanding work requirements for some Oregonians who receive SNAP food benefits, prompting state agencies to urge recipients to connect with free job search and training help through WorkSource Oregon. The Oregon Department of Human Services and the Oregon Employment Department said more people who receive SNAP must now show they are working, looking for work or participating in training to continue receiving benefits”

President Trump referred to public benefits fraud in Massachusetts during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, promising a “war on fraud” after several SNAP schemes were uncovered in the Bay State along with recent whistleblower allegations of a lackluster response by state officials. “There’s been no more stunning example than Minnesota. Where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American tax bill, we have all the information. And in actuality, the number is much higher than that,” said Trump. “And California, Massachusetts, Maine, and many other states are even worse. This is...

I grew up in a military family and lived on military bases most of my early life, five years of which were spent on Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Honestly, it was the most Americana place I’ve ever lived. Think Mayberry surrounded by minefields. Thankfully we didn’t often encounter the minefields, but we knew they were there. Fourth of July was always the biggest day of the year. We had parades with tanks and marching bands and floats and classic convertibles with pretty girls waving from the back. The rest of the day would be filled with motocross races and boxing...

The following post features the TRANSCRIPT of a 2 min video clilp from the House Oversight committee meeting on January 7, 2026, investigating Somali fraud in Minnesota.https://x.com/ksorbs/status/2023510195247140995 Feb 16, 2026~~~~TRANSCRIPT BEGINSRep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas): Mr. Ballou, again thank you for being here. Let me ask you, does large scale Somali immigrationMake Minnesota stronger or weaker?Brendan Ballou (former DOJ Special Counsel): Certainly stronger.Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas): Certainly stronger. Do you know what percentage of Somali headed housholds in Minnesota are on food stamps?Brendan Ballou: No.Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas): 54%. Do you know what that number is for native Minnesota headed households?Brendan...

A Democratic state auditor is taking Massachusetts legislative leaders, including members of her own party, to court after uncovering nearly $12 million in alleged fraud in public assistance programs, seeking to enforce a voter-approved audit law. "What are they hiding? If there's nothing to hide, open up the doors, let the sun shine in. Let's do this audit," Massachusetts State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said on "Saturday in America." DiZoglio, a Democrat and former member of both the Massachusetts House and Senate, is filing a complaint with the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to enforce a 2024 ballot measure that authorized her...

Republicans and Democrats alike decry the lack of oversight for America’s famous antipoverty experiment. ‘Fraud by design.’ When the Trump administration targeted billions of dollars in federal welfare funds recently over fraud concerns, it singled out five Democratic-run states.An examination by The Wall Street Journal found that the main federal aid program the administration is seeking to block, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF, has long been plagued by poor financial oversight and questionable spending in states led by both Republicans and Democrats.Auditors in numerous states, including Connecticut, Louisiana and Florida, have uncovered problems with TANF—once America’s primary welfare...

Four Massachusetts residents are accused of using more than 100 stolen identities to get over $1 million in food stamps and pandemic-era unemployment benefits in a multi-state fraud scheme, federal prosecutors say. U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley said stolen identities from Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Puerto Rico were used to obtain $440,000 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The defendants also allegedly submitted fraudulent documents in order to receive more than $700,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance from Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Washington and Nevada. --snip-- Three defendants charged...

The House of Representatives passed a $1.2 trillion funding deal to end the four-day partial government shutdown Tuesday, sending it to President Trump’s desk for his expected signature. Lawmakers voted 217-214 to pass the compromise funding package, which cleared the Senate late Friday and keeps about 97% of the government operating through Sept. 30. Now Congress faces a 10-day scramble to negotiate a deal to fund the Department of Homeland Security before its key agencies run out of cash Feb. 13, a timeline Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) described as “an impossibility.” *** The GOP holdouts were mainly miffed...

@RandPaul The Somali fraud exposed a broken system. Instead of reform, Washington spent $5B more. If Republicans can’t cut a fraction of the deficit, they aren’t serious about debt. See how your senator voted:

A freelance journalist reported on billions of dollars stolen from welfare programs in Minnesota. Congress did not uncover this scandal; a member of the public did. How did Congress respond? Did they open their own investigation, or claw back money from Minnesota? No, they simply decided to spend another $5 billion on welfare. If Congress cared so much about addressing welfare fraud of the kind found in Minnesota, why is the Senate considering a spending package that includes yet another $5 billion in taxpayer funded welfare for refugees? Can Democrats and big government Republicans be so obtuse as to propose...

The Most Socialist System in America Is the One Feeding Us—and It’s FailingAmerica loves to debate socialism. We argue about universal healthcare, guaranteed income, student loan forgiveness, and government dependency. We pride ourselves on our rugged independence and belief in free markets. We warn that socialism destroys innovation, freedom, and personal responsibility. But here’s the uncomfortable truth most Americans never stop to consider: the most centrally planned, government-dependent, subsidy-driven system in the United States isn’t medicine, housing, or energy—it’s food.Our food system is not a free market. It is not capitalism in any recognizable form. It is a government-engineered economy...

Somali colonists have stolen as much as $9 billion from US taxpayers in Minnesota alone. That is only the tip of the iceberg. Combining open borders with the welfare state has predictably produced the largest looting spree the world has ever seen. Consider Afghans. Via Breitbart: Census data shows that almost all Afghan households with children are on publicly funded welfare — similar to that of Somali immigrant households with children in Minnesota, where 81 percent of such households are on at least one form of welfare. Eighty-five percent of Afghan households with children are on welfare. The more offspring...

Every year, the U.S. Census Bureau publishes the Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. This is the country’s only source for state and local spending data, allowing a detailed state-by-state comparison. The survey also divides spending data into categories, making it possible to analyze which public services states prioritize. Overall, public welfare is the largest expenditure for most states. However, the level at which states prioritize assistance programs over other public services, such as roads and police, differs. Minnesota, for instance, has a massive welfare system, dedicating a larger share of its revenue to assistance programs than most...