President Donald Trump is calling on Congress to impose mandatory minimum prison sentences for people convicted of defrauding Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, in a video message posted Saturday, October 3, 2026.
“Today, I’m calling on Congress to pass legislation to address fraud in Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programs,” Trump said in the White House video.
Under the proposal he outlined, probation would no longer be an option for people convicted of stealing from federal benefit programs. “If you steal from the American people, you will go to prison and for a long period of time,” Trump said. “And the more you steal, the longer you’ll stay in that prison.” A convicted fraudster caught stealing a second time would face a doubled sentence, he said.
Trump also proposed holding state and local politicians personally liable if they know about fraud, have the ability to stop it, but do nothing — saying they could be personally liable for the full loss of taxpayers’ money they should have stopped and saved.
He did not provide specific sentencing ranges or say what standard would determine when an official “knows about fraud” or has the ability to stop it. The proposal is a call for legislation, not a law — it would need to pass Congress.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration has stepped up federal efforts to combat fraud involving government benefit programs.
Video: The White House. This footage is U.S. government work in the public domain.