US President Donald Trump has called on Congress to introduce mandatory minimum prison sentences for people convicted of defrauding federal benefit programmes, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Trump made the proposal in a video released on October 3, 2026, saying those convicted of stealing from programmes designed to support Americans should face imprisonment rather than probation.
“Today I’m calling on Congress to pass legislation to address fraud in Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security programmes,” Trump said.
Under the proposal, the length of imprisonment would increase according to the amount stolen, while people convicted of committing fraud for a second time would face doubled sentences.
“Probation is no longer an option for the fraudsters,” Trump said, adding that those who steal from Americans should “go to prison and for a long period of time.”
Trump did not provide specific minimum prison terms or establish the monetary thresholds that would determine the length of a sentence. Those details would have to be contained in legislation passed by Congress.
The proposal therefore does not immediately change federal sentencing law. Congress would need to consider and approve legislation before any new mandatory minimum sentences could take effect.
Trump also proposed imposing financial liability on state and local politicians who knowingly allow fraud to continue when they have the authority to intervene.
Under his proposal, officials who are aware of fraud but fail to act could potentially be held personally responsible for the losses suffered by American taxpayers.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration continues to intensify its campaign against healthcare fraud. In June, the US Department of Justice announced charges against 455 defendants in its 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraudulent claims. The defendants included 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals.
The administration has also taken measures aimed at reducing suspected fraud and improper payments in Medicare and Medicaid. In February, the Department of Health and Human Services announced several initiatives, including a nationwide moratorium on Medicare enrollment for certain medical-equipment suppliers and the deferral of hundreds of millions of dollars in Medicaid funding to Minnesota while questionable claims were investigated.
Federal authorities already have criminal penalties available for healthcare fraud, and individuals convicted of certain felony healthcare-fraud offences can also be excluded from participating in federal healthcare programmes under existing law.
Trump’s proposed legislation would go further by making prison terms mandatory for covered fraud convictions and increasing punishment for repeat offenders.
The proposal is likely to face scrutiny in Congress, particularly over how mandatory sentencing would be structured and how responsibility would be determined for government officials accused of failing to prevent fraud.
For now, however, the proposal remains a call for congressional action rather than an enacted change to US federal law.
