Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., said Friday that congressional Republicans and the Trump administration are intensifying efforts to combat what he described as widespread government fraud, arguing that some Democrat officials have failed to cooperate with investigations into abuse of taxpayer-funded programs.

Appearing on Newsmax's "National Report," Meuser pointed to a recent guilty plea in a Minnesota fraud case as evidence that federal investigators are uncovering significant misuse of public funds and said similar problems exist across the country.

"It certainly does," Meuser said when asked whether the guilty plea adds credibility to the administration's broader fraud crackdown.

"Look, Minneapolis is a reasonably large city, but sadly, we're finding out such fraud everywhere from L.A. to Chicago to New York to Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. In this case, Minneapolis, there's so many ties to the mayor's office, to the governor's office. This has been going on for years. Finally, it's come to light."

His comments followed the guilty plea of a Minneapolis day care operator in a fraud case tied to Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program and the broader Feeding Our Future investigation, one of several major fraud probes involving federally funded programs in the state.

Meuser said federal officials are discovering fraud on a much larger scale than previously believed.

"You know, they are fighting us here. We're having a crackdown on fraud. We're talking about $600 billion, $700 billion, maybe $1 trillion a year. It's more than we ever anticipated. I thought it was in maybe the 7% or 8% range. We're finding that perhaps it's as much as 20% of our federal spend."

The Pennsylvania Republican sharply criticized officials he said oppose anti-fraud efforts.

"So anyone who gets in the way of fraud, I think that makes them part of the problem. That means that they're part of the fraud," Meuser said. "And there's only two reasons that they would be fighting us and the Democrats or the socialists, whatever they call their party these days. One is because that's their base and they don't want to irritate their base. And secondly is because those elected officials are in on it themselves."

Meuser added that Vice President JD Vance's fraud task force would continue pursuing investigations.

"JD Vance's task force that I hope to be on very shortly, we're going to uncover it and go after it aggressively."

The interview also turned to the Trump administration's investigation into alleged fraud involving H-1B and PERM employment visa programs. The Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General announced this week that it had launched an investigation into H-1B visa fraud and human trafficking, saying investigators have already issued dozens of subpoenas.

Asked about concerns raised by constituents, Meuser said many are frustrated by what they view as inadequate oversight.

"They're very frustrated. Why can't we do anything about it? How could this occur? And it's just been, you know, lax management. Or somebody could argue not incompetence, just quite deliberate."

He also cited Pennsylvania's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, saying the state has an error rate of about 11%

"I mean, there are states, and Pennsylvania is one of them, where we have an error rate in the SNAP program of 10.7%, basically 11%," Meuser said. "So over $40 million is going out to those who are not eligible. And you know what our governor's office is willing to do about it? Absolutely nothing. They scoff at it. They say we have bigger concerns than correcting problems like this."

Meuser argued Republicans want federal assistance programs preserved for eligible recipients.

"We as Republicans want these programs to be saved, so as those who are truly in need receive them, not the scammers, right? The people in the states like Pennsylvania or Minnesota who deserve these government programs are American citizens have contributed to the system."

He also claimed two Pennsylvania residents traveled to Minnesota to participate in an alleged fraud scheme involving a purported day care operation before returning home while continuing to submit claims.

Looking ahead, Meuser said Congress plans additional legislative action and oversight.

"We're going to force it. We're going to force it with legislation," he said. "And, you know, there's a big consumer fraud issue as well that my [Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations], we're very focused on too. So that's very important to our neighbors, our communities and our citizens."

GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!

Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.

You need to watch NEWSMAX today.

Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!

Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now

BEST OFFER:

Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.

Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.

Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!

Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.

Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!

Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com