Vice President JD Vance gave a speech yesterday in Maine, highlighting the Trump administration’s efforts to tackle fraud in federal welfare programs.

It’s part of Vance’s job heading the Fraud Task Force. Earlier this week, he announced that the Trump administration would withhold $1.3 billion in Medicaid payments to California. “There are California taxpayers and American taxpayers who are being defrauded because California isn’t taking its program seriously,” he said, “but also, you have people who have been prescribed medications that they don’t even need. They’ve had drugs put into their bodies that they don’t need because fraudsters have actually encouraged false prescriptions and false administration of medications.”

Vance’s message in Maine was along similar lines. He announced, “We are sending across 50 Medicaid programs … letters that will require them to show that they are effectively and aggressively prosecuting Medicaid fraud in their states. And if they do not, if they do not aggressively prosecute Medicaid fraud, we are going to turn off the money that goes to these anti-fraud units.”

The vice president is keen to convey that the Trump administration’s efforts to root out fraud are not a blue-state-only issue, citing the Medicaid fraud uncovered in his home state of Ohio. He observed, “Both Ohio and Maryland have worked with us to take this issue seriously. They’ve worked with the guys behind me, they’ve worked with our entire team, to make sure that they take fraud seriously.”

“Again, this does not have to be a red state or a blue state issue. This is just basic good government,” Vance pointedly argued. Unfortunately, some Democrat-run states, likely due to their opposition to Donald Trump, have refused to work with the administration. Vance called out California, New York, and Hawaii in particular, warning, “For those states that refuse to get serious about fraud, we are going to turn off that anti-fraud money, and if we continue to find problems, we can turn off other resources within their state Medicaid programs, as well.”

The importance of working to eliminate fraud is about helping the very people whom programs like Medicaid were intended to help. As Vance reiterated, “We want to protect Medicaid. We want to protect Medicare, but we can’t do that if the states that are administering those programs are allowing those programs to be fleeced by fraudsters.”

In short, theft is especially egregious when it targets those most in need. Rooting out fraud should always be a top priority for the government. Citizens will fast lose their trust in government if they see elected leaders turning a blind eye to waste and fraud.

When Americans see how the federal government spends massive amounts of money, well beyond what it takes in annual taxes, with little to no concern for reining in this spending, and then does little to actually address fraud, it only fuels distrust and resentment.

Furthermore, as Vance noted, allowing fraud to go unchecked also creates a spirit of resentment among the general populace toward those legitimately receiving federal assistance, such as Medicaid. (Legitimately, in this case, meaning a genuine need, not a constitutional justification for the program.) Not only does fraud breed mistrust of government officials, but it also breeds mistrust of fellow citizens.

Vance’s threat to withhold federal funding is indeed necessary to press these blue states to do the right thing for their constituents.

The way North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek put it, “It’s not my job to protect government. It’s my job to protect the taxpayer, and they need an advocate.”

The Fraud Task Force is ultimately about holding state governments accountable to the taxpayers. As Vance warned, “We are not going to have a generous country if Americans think that they’re paying their taxes not to needy people, but to fraudsters. That’s fundamentally what we’re trying to fix — rebuilding America’s trust.”