Rep. Cloud to Newsmax: Vance Worthy Choice to Fight Fraud

<p><a href="https://www.newsmax.com/politics/michael-cloud-jd-vance-fraud/2026/02/25/id/1247403/">Rep. Cloud to Newsmax: Vance Worthy Choice to Fight Fraud<br /></a><br />Newsmax</p>

<p>Solange Reyner | February 25, 2026 <br /><br /><br />Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Texas, told Newsmax on Wednesday that Vice President JD Vance is well-positioned to lead a new federal effort to combat government fraud, praising his record and commitment to oversight.</p>

<p>President Donald Trump officially declared a &#8220;war on fraud&#8221; during his State of the Union address Tuesday night, announcing the creation of a task force aimed at rooting out waste, fraud, and abuse in federal programs.</p>

<p>Trump named Vance to lead the initiative, calling for aggressive oversight and stronger enforcement to safeguard taxpayer dollars.</p>

<p>Cloud welcomed the announcement.</p>

<p>&#8220;I think he&#8217;d do an excellent job with that,&#8221; Cloud said of Vance on &#8220;National Report.&#8221; &#8220;I was excited to hear that. I know he&#8217;s been involved in pushing for this already, kind of working behind the scenes on it, but to know that he&#8217;s going to be taking the reins, so to speak, and pushing this forward is really tremendous.&#8221;</p>

<p>Cloud cited Vance&#8217;s willingness to tackle major policy issues during his time in the Senate, including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.</p>

<p>&#8220;He&#8217;s been somebody who&#8217;s been willing to take on the big issues, DEI being one of them,&#8221; Cloud said. &#8220;When he was a senator, we co-sponsored the bill to get rid of DEI, and for him to take on these big issues, he&#8217;s going to do a great job. We&#8217;re excited about it.&#8221;</p>

<p>Cloud emphasized that oversight and coordination with the Department of Justice will be critical components of the administration&#8217;s anti-fraud push. He said lawmakers have already been working to expose waste and abuse at the state and federal levels.</p>

<p>&#8220;And let&#8217;s remember, all the craziness that&#8217;s going on in Minnesota started with us revealing the fact that billions and billions and billions of dollars of fraud were going on in that state,&#8221; Cloud said, referring to previously reported allegations involving pandemic-era relief funds.</p>

<p>He argued that uncovering those issues underscores the need for stronger scrutiny nationwide.</p>

<p>Cloud added that Minnesota is not the only state requiring heightened oversight, saying significant work remains to protect public funds.</p>

<p>&#8220;A lot of work still needs to be done to find as much savings as we can for the American people and work toward a balanced budget,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And he&#8217;s the right man for the job to do it. Not the only state that needs that guidance, either.&#8221;<br /><br /><br /></p>

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<p>The post <a href="https://cloud.house.gov/posts/rep-cloud-to-newsmax-vance-worthy-choice-to-fight-fraud">Rep. Cloud to Newsmax: Vance Worthy Choice to Fight Fraud</a> appeared first on <a href="https://cloud.house.gov">Cloud</a>.</p>