Federal government’s landlord joins Vance fraud crackdown as White House widens hunt: ‘Critical force’

FIRST ON FOX: The federal agency that oversees more than $126 billion in federal contracts is joining Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force, expanding the White House crackdown into the federal government’s contracting system.

The General Services Administration (GSA) calls itself the “engine of government” and serves as the federal government’s central contracting and real estate agency, overseeing the buildings, services and goods agencies rely on to operate. By joining the task force, GSA gives one of the Trump administration’s highest-profile accountability efforts access to its procurement data, acquisition expertise and cross-agency reach as the White House seeks to root out fraud in public programs.

“GSA sits at the center of the federal acquisition and contracting ecosystem, making us a critical force in the fight against fraud,” GSA Administrator Edward C. Forst said in a press release obtained by Fox News Digital. 

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“We are proud to join Vice President Vance and this Task Force to aggressively identify abuse, strengthen oversight and protect the integrity of federal procurement. GSA will bring advanced analytical capabilities, investigative support and cross-government coordination to help expose high-risk fraud patterns and stop bad actors from exploiting taxpayer-funded systems,” Frost continued. 

The White House’s task force is a coalition of federal agencies created by President Donald Trump through an executive order to coordinate efforts to reduce fraud, waste and abuse in federal programs. Chaired by Vice President JD Vance, the task force focuses on improving eligibility verification, strengthening payment controls, sharing data across agencies and helping law enforcement disrupt fraud schemes.

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The GSA has historically had some problems with improper payments. 

In February, for instance, the agency’s Office of Inspector General released a report finding that “federal customer agencies relying on GSA pricing on schedule contracts are at risk of overpaying” due to failures from government contracting officers or inaccurate information submitted by contractors.

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The White House fraud task force was established in March, and has racked up a few early wins in the weeks since. Law enforcement, working in conjunction with the task force, arrested eight people in California on suspicion of defrauding public healthcare services out of more than $50 million.

The task force also withheld $1.4 billion in federal funding from home health and hospice providers suspected of defrauding the government.

“GSA’s participation reinforces a whole-of-government strategy focused on restoring accountability, strengthening operational integrity and ensuring federal programs deliver results for the American people,” the press release reads.

“By combining the Task Force’s investigative mission with GSA’s government-wide infrastructure and procurement expertise, the administration is accelerating efforts to increase transparency, improve efficiency, and reinforce public trust in federal operations.”