House Democrats joined with Republicans to overwhelmingly pass a bill making the National Fraud Enforcement Division permanent, despite reluctance from some progressive Democrats. The division was created earlier this year by President Trump's administration and has been used against political opponents like Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison for alleged involvement in fraud affecting social welfare programs. Representative Jamie Raskin criticized the legislation as a nonpartisan initiative masking deeper partisan divisions, while Republicans defended it as necessary to combat actual cases of government fraud.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
President Donald Trump's crackdown on government fraud is getting unexpected backup from a majority of House Democrats, including Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
More than 140 House Democrats voted with all Republicans to make the National Fraud Enforcement Division permanent on Wednesday.
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Division → get → Wednesday
The bill passed in an overwhelming 352 to 72 vote, with all of its opponents being Democrats as well.
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all → pass → opponents
Trump's White House first announced the creation of a new division within the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat fraud in January 2026, primarily targeting "fraud affecting the federal government, federally funded programs, and private citizens," according to a release by the administration.
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House → announce → administration
It was notably used as a cudgel against Trump's political enemies earlier this year, when Vice President JD Vance referred Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison to the fraud division for a potential criminal investigation.
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Vance → use → investigation
Republicans accused Walz and Ellison of helping facilitate what's become a ballooning fraud scandal affecting Minnesota's social welfare programs.
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what → accuse → programs
Both have acknowledged that taxpayer dollars were taken advantage of but accused GOP actors of casting the situation as worse than it actually is as a political attack.
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it → acknowledge → attack
The Trump administration's announcement of the fraud division also touted its actions in Minnesota, which it said was experiencing a "fraud epidemic."
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it → tout → epidemic
Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., a top House progressive, said he would give "tepid support" to the legislation, while pointing out a fraud division has already existed within the DOJ for decades.
"
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division → say → decades
This is hardly some kind of great breakthrough in law enforcement or criminal justice, but it is perhaps the least offensive piece of legislative flotsam and jetsam that has washed ashore in the last 48 hours of Republican chaos and retreat here in the House of Representatives
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that → wash → Representatives
," Raskin said on the House floor.
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Raskin → say → floor
Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., responded, "This conversation is about a piece of legislation.
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conversation → respond → legislation
It's about a piece of legislation that we want to be enacted into law.
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we → want → law
It's a permanent, nonpartisan commitment that we do something better because the people who are listening here ... the people who are watching, they're getting tired of it.
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they → listen → it
"
"They're getting tired of all the money that has been wasted.
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that → get → money
And to try to pretend that just a few years ago, a couple of years ago, everything was perfect, everything was taken care of and that there was no corruption, we know better," Van Drew said.
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Drew → try → care
Raskin spent a significant amount of time accusing Trump and his administration allies of corruption at the expense of prosecuting actual fraud cases, something Republicans pushed back against.
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Republicans → spend → something
"What has come out of Minnesota over the last year, what has been exposed, is absolutely criminal in nature," said Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo.
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Hageman → come → nature
"I think what is coming, what is being exposed in blue cities and blue states run by Democrats, demonstrates that it's probably higher by an order of magnitude."
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it → think → magnitude
Raskin then targeted Van Drew directly in his comments: "My dear friend from New Jersey wants to make it sound like I'm doing something partisan.
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I → target → something
I'm joining his bill."
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I → join → bill
"It would be very easy for me to say I reject everything you do because you're on the side of this pro-fraud president, but I'm not doing that.
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I → say → that
Your bill says, let's call this the 'National Fraud Enforcement Unit.
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's → say → this
I say, fine, that makes sense to me," Raskin said.
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Raskin → say → me
"Why don't you cross the aisle and say it's wrong for them to be pardoning white-collar fraudster after white-collar fraudster, or at least pardoning them from having to pay the fines and the restitution back?
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them → cross → fines
Do you really think that $1.7 billion should go from what was going to be the pockets of the victims back into the bank account of the perpetrators?"
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what → think → perpetrators
Van Drew responded, "The gentleman has his numbers.
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gentleman → respond → numbers
He has his vision, he has his partisan ideas, and that's up to him.
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that → have → him
But I'm trying to point out today ... we're trying to make something that is right now just an executive order and make it law to help the people."
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it → try → people
The Aporia
