Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Newsmax on Wednesday that billions of dollars in healthcare fraud were made possible by lax government oversight, massive federal spending, and political considerations that allowed abuse to continue unchecked.

During an appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America," Jordan weighed in after the Justice Department announced what it called the largest healthcare fraud crackdown in U.S. history.

Federal authorities charged 455 defendants across 45 states in connection with more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraud and seized more than $182 million in cash and assets, including luxury vehicles and jewelry.

The congressman said the sheer amount of taxpayer money flowing through federal programs created opportunities for criminals.

"Part of it is just the amount of money the federal government has out there in various programs," he said.

Jordan also blamed weak safeguards designed to catch fraud before government funds are distributed.

"I think the other part is the lack of checks and balances on the front end before the money goes out the door," he said. "I think all that's going on."

Jordan pointed to the Feeding Our Future scandal in Minnesota as an example of how fraud schemes were able to flourish.

The program was created during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide meals to underprivileged children who were not attending school in person.

"The trouble was up there in Minneapolis, there were no kids and no meals," he said. "They were just pocketing the money."

According to Jordan, individuals involved claimed they were feeding children and collected taxpayer funds despite providing no services.

"They were filling out a form saying, 'Oh, we fed so many kids today,' but there were no kids and no meals provided," he said. "They just pocketed the money, stuffed it in their pockets."

The Ohio Republican said similar conduct appeared to be taking place in numerous locations nationwide.

Jordan also argued that politics played a role in allowing some fraud schemes to continue.

"We had a Somali American who worked in the attorney general's office there in Minnesota who said the reason they didn't stop this was the politics," he said. "This was an important voting bloc – their words, not mine."

Jordan praised Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche and other Justice Department officials for pursuing the cases, saying aggressive prosecutions are essential to deterring future fraud.

"One of the best ways to stop something is to indict the people who do the wrong, steal the money," he said. "That's a big deterrent."

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