It is not business as usual at DOJ.  In the latest announcement related to the Department’s efforts to fight alleged fraud, on May 27, 2026, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate issued a memorandum directing DOJ’s Civil Division and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices to accelerate the review of qui tams alleging fraud against federally funded state-administered benefits programs, including programs involving housing, food assistance, medical care, and cash assistance.   The memorandum, titled “Accelerating Review and Enhancing Enforcement in Benefits Fraud Matters,” implements President Trump’s March 2026 Executive Order establishing the “Task Force to Eliminate Fraud,” which we reported on here, and which directed the Department to take appropriate action to promote “meritorious” qui tams and to complete investigations sooner, including within the 60-day statutory period.

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Last week, the White House and CMS announced a set of new administrative actions to further the Administration’s anti-fraud mission, including in particular CMS’s CRUSH (Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare) initiative, announced earlier this year. At a May 13, 2026 press conference, Vice President J.D. Vance, CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, and CMS Deputy Administrator and Chief Operating Officer Kim Brandt outlined measures designed not only to identify and prevent fraud, but also to pressure states and their Medicaid Fraud Control Units (“MFCUs”) to take a more active enforcement role.

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