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Fraud by Design – How Democrats Hope to Make Everyone Reliant on Welfare

Posted on Tuesday, July 20, 2021
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AMAC Exclusive By Sam Adolphsen

fraud

When it comes to fraud in government, Democrats are deceiving the whole country. In the name of fighting fraud in our safety net programs, leftwing politicians and bureaucrats are reengineering these programs to allow for increased spending and expanded enrollment simply by ignoring or completely getting rid of eligibility standards.  The result of this massive “fraud by design” is that millions of people who are now ineligible for benefits remain on these welfare programs today.

Unsurprisingly, those politicians who build campaign coalitions using welfare and unemployment funds are extremely reluctant to ackowledge any problems with these programs.   They insist that fraud isn’t a problem. When that lie becomes untenable, they admit it’s a problem but downplay it to the point where it seems trivial. You’ve heard from left wing think tanks that fraud accounts for “less than one percent” of all benefits the government hands out. That’s a refrain parroted by many politicians and academics on the left.

 The truth is that fraud is significant. And it’s not hard to find. The massive infusion of federal money into government programs during the COVID-19 pandemic has not created a new problem but shined a spotlight on an old one. 

 We’ve seen some of the more absurd stories, like the Nigerian fraud ring that stole as much as $800 million in Oregon unemployment benefits last fall. Or the case from Los Angeles, where three women recently pled guilty to using information from other people to improperly collect $1.2 million in COVID-19 unemployment benefits. Even the Washington Post reported that Maryland officials have detected over 500,000 “potentially fraudulent” jobless claims since May of this year alone.

But a few colorful incidents of fraud and waste don’t capture the scope of the problem. Over 21 percent of Medicaid’s payments in 2020 were improper. That’s $86 billion in improper payments. Even before COVID-19, when claims spiked as states struggled to keep up with rising unemployment, fraud was a serious problem. The Department of Labor estimated that a full 10.61% of unemployment insurance benefits were improper in the 12 months leading up to the outbreak of the pandemic in the United States—and that was before the massive expansion of unemployment payments to millions of new people.

 So it’s worth repeating—there is significant fraud in welfare. I’ve seen it first hand.

 When I oversaw the food stamp program in Maine a few years ago, I worked with the FBI to catch the owners of a local market who stole more than $1 million from taxpayers. I’ll never forget building a map to track food stamp card spending and seeing how much money from Maine was spent at Disney World.

 Trust me. Fraud happens routinely when government agencies fail to put safeguards in place to prevent it and punish wrongdoers.

But I’m more worried about a new kind of fraud that isn’t punishable because it’s state-sanctioned. When policymakers redefine eligibility standards out of existence, the stories of foreign crime syndicates stealing millions of tax dollars pale in comparison to the “fraud by design” the government itself is intentionally facilitating.  After all, when theft is no longer a crime, a thief is no longer a criminal.

 Consider the case of Medicaid.  Since March 2020, the federal government has prohibited states from removing anyone who entered the program–save for the dead or re-located—even if they become ineligible for some other reason or commit blatant fraud. The result is that millions remain on Medicaid today that just a few years would be ineligible.  

This is only the latest example of fraud by design. President Obama created rules that let hospitals enroll able-bodied adults in Medicaid without ever verifying their income or household information. If they’re later shown to be ineligible, state and federal taxpayers can’t recoup those funds.

 The government has even renamed fraud itself. Sure, the “error rate” is over 21%. But at least there is very little “fraud!”

 As far back as the Clinton administration, bureaucrats opened loopholes to let people with unlimited cash assets get food stamps meant for hungry kids and families. They gutted work requirements for adults with no children. And they killed off reporting requirements that ensured people getting benefits were actually eligible to receive them.

Want to see fraud by design in action? Ask policymakers whether or not skipping an enrollee’s annual reviews should be treated the same as trafficking EBT food stamp cards.

Fraud by design makes sense for some politicians and bureaucrats. After all, handing out free money has rarely made a politician less popular, especially with those receiving it. But it’s unfair to law-abiding, hardworking taxpayers—and it’s bad for the recipients themselves, making them increasingly dependent on government.

 Ask your neighbor if someone getting a welfare benefit they are not eligible for is fraud. They won’t offer lawyerly prevarication. And they won’t take long to answer. They understand who the safety net is for – the truly needy.

Now, fraud by design is infiltrating even more fundamental processes like voting.

What do opponents of election integrity say? “Verification of voters and voter registration lists are not needed,” or “it’s a few bad apples, not a systemic problem,” or, most dangerous of all, “fraud is very rare.”

 Sound familiar?

 Sam Adolphsen is the policy director at the Foundation for Government Accountability, and the former Chief Operating Officer for the Maine Department of Health and Human Services where he oversaw welfare eligibility and fraud investigations.

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Paula Beliveau
Paula Beliveau
3 years ago

There has been rampant fraud in the welfare system for decades. Any safety programs in place have been sidestepped and will continue to be because of the corruption within the system. To say that fraud is 1% or lower is admitting there is a problem. The attempt of the people in our government to trivialize this is showing the problem. Even at 1% your talking millions in fraud. Think about what that can do for our citizens truly in need.

Momcat
Momcat
3 years ago

Lying to justify their jobs.

Kenneth D.
Kenneth D.
3 years ago

And all the while, the GOP will stand by, wring their hands and say “Ain’t it awful and please send more money”. Our nation’s major problem is the bipartisan corruption and complacency of the Beltway Establishment who get re-elected term after term as the nation sinks deeper into the abyss.
I was a Republican voter and supporter for over 30 years until I realized that nothing changed much even when they were in the majority. The deep state bureaucracy, powerful special interests and their career politician enablers are the cancer that has metastasized throughout the federal, state and local levels during the past 50+ years. Outlier statesmen/women like President Trump are tolerated if they “behave” and attacked viciously if they try to fulfill their oath of office.
our current levels of apathy and corruption were the worst fears of the Founders. Social media and technology have simply thrown fuel on the already out of control fire.

Stephen Russell
Stephen Russell
3 years ago

Does this include SS too

Carol Rodgers
Carol Rodgers
3 years ago

What is being done to recoup the money and punish the people who stole it and what is being done by the government to close these loopholes?

Gil
Gil
3 years ago

Easy solution….stop giving away money badly needed for our country. That is not the governments place if we are keep this great nation. We have private institutions with tax-exempt status that takes care of this type of thing.

Charles Koppenhoefer
Charles Koppenhoefer
3 years ago

Anything the Government Gets involved in is always costly to the AMERICAN public & profitable to the Congress & other parts of the government . . We need to completely change the way this country is run & remember that the Congress is ruled by the people – not the other way around

Felix
Felix
3 years ago

Ever hear of the term “DC Swamp”?

MsRhuby Star-Diamond
MsRhuby Star-Diamond
3 years ago

I had one lady tell me that the government paid to have her injured dog’s front leg removed! I’d have put the dog down. Really though? Why would the government pay for a dog’s medical bills? For the vote! Well, now the Democrats are in and we are reaping the fruits of their dirty deeds.

heil biden
heil biden
3 years ago

TRUMP WON!

willie
willie
3 years ago

democrats are evil and biden,harris,pelosi and any and all democrats that are in washington should be shot or put in jail for treason and destroying america.If democrats hate america leave we want stop you from going to any place you want.Biden and sanders like cuba so much move there and take your family with you.I don,t think anybody will stop you.

Brenda Blunt
Brenda Blunt
3 years ago

People need to work and NOT rely on the government to provide for them. If they want to, they can move to another country!!

HelenC
HelenC
3 years ago

When the guy in the WH and gal at the head of the House can enrich their family members by directing contracts to them or telling them how their legislation will benefit companies, the example is set for others to enrich themselves. Trump and Truman are among the few who lost money working in DC.

JOHN
JOHN
3 years ago

This is hardly Newsworthy. This started by design 100 years ago. Woodrow Wilson, Federalizing Banking and Administrative Regulations all the way to FDR and his Social Agenda of Dependence and Democrat March of Control steamrolled American Life!

Jeanette
Jeanette
3 years ago

interesting the picture is of masked men (and women) a picture we usually identified with robbers 🙂 and in this instance, we still do!

james michalicek
james michalicek
3 years ago

Bought a new shirt today. It says “Traitor Joes” on the front.

par
par
3 years ago

The party of entitlement. Not the party of JFK anymore.

Larry W
Larry W
3 years ago

The Democratic party is borrowing money to buy votes and we all are going to pay the bill.

Enuf Said
Enuf Said
3 years ago

What is something Bat Man can do, that a Dim-Wit can’t? Go into the fraudulent Gub-Mint’s programs without Robin!!

Jeanne
Jeanne
3 years ago

What a mess we’re in. I hope we turn back to God which Nadler says has nothing to do with anything.

Jimco
Jimco
3 years ago

It’s way past time for the silent majority to remain silent! We must join forces and push back hard. For our children, our grandchildren, their grandchildren and generations to come.

Lyin briben biden
Lyin briben biden
3 years ago

The Arizona audit has proven the democrats engaged in massive voter fraud.

There is no democrat on office today that can proven they were actually elected.

All democrat efforts to stop new voting laws or stop audits is aiding and abetting criminal voter fraud.

The democrat party is guilty of treason and insurecction. You can argue it brcusse it is already proven.

Karen
Karen
3 years ago

I’m wondering……is there ONE Democrat who is moral and honest?

Garye
Garye
3 years ago

The democrats are corrupt, they lie,cheat and steal and have no morals.
These uninformed lemmings who vote for them perpetuate the continued fleecing of Americas legitimate taxpaying Citizens.
Will these people EVER wake up and see how the power hungry,greedy useless democrat politicians are USING them??
Or is it that as long as they receive these perceived freebees they really don’t care???
Whatever happened to responsible citizenship and pride in Our Country.

Mike B.
Mike B.
3 years ago

Just received an email from Illinois Policy . Quote: “ The average Illiniosian earns $55,770 a year at work. If that person stayed home with their kids and collected unemployment, it would be $51,626. Crunch the numbers another way and add federal stimulus, and the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce calculated an unemployed worker receives $35 an hour.” My question is . . . how many people are taking advantage of this, and is our government checking into all the fraud that is happening ? What’s the percentage of people working, compared to the people sucking up all these benefits? Yes, some are legitimate, but some are not. The Democrats are destroying small businesses slowly ,but surely. How can they compete with the government? It’s disgusting, and frustrating to say the least. This administration SUCKS! So does our politicians in Illinois.

FedUp
FedUp
3 years ago

Everything the left does is by design starting with the creation of the welfare state under the Johnson administration. Originally sold under the banner of providing a “safety net”, it was in reality the starting point for the destruction of the family. It incentivized the “missing father” by providing more money to the “parents” if they remained single rather than married. Having worked in the welfare system, it also incentivized women to have more babies as I can attest to, having talked to dozens who had children because they simply wanted to get a “raise” and collect a larger monthly welfare check. As a result of this, single parent births jumped from the 10-20% range (in the 60s) to as high as 80% in some communities today.
Everything the left does is designed with the ultimate goal of the people being reliant on the government for everything. For example, the feds just started monthly per child payouts to parents of about $300 per child. As they put it, raising a child is expensive! So they’ll cover the cost for you. And they’re so proud of this!!!
But wake up people. They’re not doing this because they care about you. Its just another bribe/payout for your votes with the ultimate goal of keeping those in the left in power by ensuring that you become more and more reliant on the government to provide for you, make decisions for you, and know what’s best for you.

MARSHA
MARSHA
3 years ago

FRAUD BY DESIGN=DEMOCRATS! NOT JUST IN ELECTIONS, BUT IN SOCIAL SECURITY, WELFARE, FOOD STAMPS,UNEMPLOYMENT(MARYLAND & MAINE UNDER SAM ADOLPHSEN(GOVT. ACCOUNTABILITY DIRECTOR MAINE DEPT. OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES,CLINTON ALLOWED UNQUALIFIED TO RAKE IN FOOD STAMPS BY THE MILLION$,OBAMA ALLOWED HOSPITALS TO SIGN IN PATIENTS(ABLE BODIED ADULTS TO ENROLL WITHOUT VERIFICATION OF AGE AND HOUSEHOLD INFO )FOR MEDICAID. THESE ARE ALL PLANNED FRAUDS!!AT THE TAXPAYERS EXPENSE. SOCIAL SECURITY , WE PAY AS WE WORK OUT OF OUR CHECKS FICA WHICH THE GOVT USES FOR WHATEVER THEY WANT TO USE IT FOR, NOW WE FIND OUT, GOVT SAYS THERE IS NO CONTRACT SO THEY DON’T HAVE TO PAY ANY OF US BACK!! THEY WON’T EVEN PAY COST OF LIVING WAGES. SOCIAL SECURITY IS VERY FRAUDULENT. THEY WONDER WHY WE HATE THEM. NOTHING BUT THEIVES AND LIARS. LOOK UP SAM ADOLPHSEN AND YOU WILL SEE ALL OF THIS!

gin
gin
3 years ago

We’re getting closer to the mark of the beast every day. The beast hasn’t made his appearance yet, but when he does, things will already be in place for him to declare people without his mark unable to buy or sell. It may be a credit card that will be refused to some, or an embedded chip or facial recognition. We don’t know, but we do know “the church” won’t be here. God will remove the church before the tribulation. You can still come to Christ during the tribulation, but it will be much more difficult as people will be more deceived regarding the truth of God, and also, many will be martyred.
Better martyred than unable to spend eternity with God.
All the concern about world events and politics are drops in the bucket compared to God’s owning the universe He created and deciding the rules. Number one rule is, “No one comes to the father, God, except through His son”. Once you’re in Christ, He picks up your burden. If you accept His love, you’ll never regret it.

Becky
Becky
3 years ago

Until these thieving politicians are arrested, made to REPAY from their own funds the fraud they fostered, this will never stop.
So.
DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT or STHU.
It’s been occurring since the early 80s when the filthy demonRats opened welfare up to ILLEGALS.
The US steals probably close to $200 BILLION per year now. (It was $150,000,000,000.)
And our ‘politician’ crooks steal in the TRILLIONS now.
People need to stop working and paying taxes……
Let DC starve.

‘Nonymous
‘Nonymous
3 years ago

It’s called communism, government dependency, slavery!

Bchris
Bchris
3 years ago

My question is if their “utopia” is achieved and everyone is dependent on the government, WHERE ARE THEY GOING TO GET THE MONEY?

Hal
Hal
3 years ago

What the DemocRats want is to RULE the Nation while making it believe that the will of the majority of people is that is the majority wish. And the dumas, with some exceptions, the news media has largely become propaganda outlets to support such an illusion. The DemocRats want to have the public generally behave as sheep but not say “bah” at some of their governance decisions and implementations.

Duane
Duane
3 years ago

What better way to institute socialism, communism, or some form of totalitarianism, where Government is God and not of the people, than to BANKRUPT the country.

Reality
Reality
3 years ago

The Lord says, you don’t work, you don’t eat!!! Nothing is free. The government will take all your rights away if you give into their phony propaganda about sitting on your duff and getting free money. It’s not free, those who are working are paying for your freeloading. People are standing on street corners with their phony signs for free handouts. Many are making more money than those who are working and they’re not paying a dime in taxes. Cuba has been socialist/communist for years and the people are revolting. They’re all dirt poor while Castro was the only one with money. China’s people many are dirt poor. China government(CCP) starves many of its people to death, steals their organs, killing them for the money and ultimately to destroy America. This is exactly what the Democrats, mainstream media, Big Tech wants to do with America-destroy everything that made America great-follow the Bible, treat others the way you would want to be treated, go to work, pay your taxes.

Jane CA
Jane CA
3 years ago

Bingo! As a home health nurse, I’ve seen the fraud. Sometimes it’s doubling the amount of diapers a client needs and then selling them to friends, neighbors ETC. That is not the only one of medicaid fraud that is draining our tax money. It may sound like a drop in the bucket, but little drops quickly add up to the fraud flood !

MariaRose
MariaRose
3 years ago

Those areas that lack the follow up yearly assessment won’t do the effort except where they can see instantaneous results and most often those individuals may not be the real fraudsters that are abusing the system but merely just acquired that tiny bit of extra income that put them over the limit. Florida is one of the states that also claims to have done “assessments” yet those that they supposedly caught were not the big culprits just the easiest to see.
I feel that lax procedure are only creating more dependence desire because those in power prefer the situation because it just increases their power.
Right now we should be very concerned about the increased desire by the government to take/steal the money out of our 401K funds because they need a source of funds for the “free handouts “. I am tired of the government taking something that I worked to get myself, especially when they aren’t sharing their riches with anyone but themselves.

Clark Kent
Clark Kent
3 years ago

Washington state, not Oregon, was the victim of the Nigerian fraud ring.

Tina
Tina
3 years ago

All a part of socialism….being dependent on someone or something. Why we cannot fill jobs right now. The lazy ones who voted for this administration are sitting with their hands out and the Republicans are saying ” well, why not if they are I will too”. I would love to work. Due to my health there is no way i possibly can. We live off our social security and that is it.

Hal
Hal
3 years ago

That’s become obvious. The DemocRat Party has adopted a plan of slickly converting our Nation’s governance from a Constitutional Democracy to a form of Communism. That has been pretty obvious since the Obama Administration Fiasco. The a large bulk of the news media is running their propaganda. Their crowning achievement was to poison the election system so that the will of the people will not be able to derail their progress … even when a crook and idiot is POTUS.

HocasPocas
HocasPocas
3 years ago

Democrat sponsored fraud is not systemic but racism sure is? This quacky crap makes my head spin

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