特朗普政府宣布暂停向加州和明尼苏达州拨付超过10亿美元的联邦医疗补助金，理由是涉嫌欺诈和不合规[1]。其中加州暂停8.675亿美元，明尼苏达州暂停1.99亿美元[1]。
卫生与公众服务部长肯尼迪为此举辩护，表示"我们有责任停止这些支付、要求答复，然后根据证据指向进行调查"[1]。他强调此举旨在"防患于未然"而非事后追索[1]。特朗普政府将其定位为反欺诈战略的一部分，声称目的是为纳税人节省资金[1]。
两州民主党州长对此提出质疑。加州州长纽瑟姆指控联邦政府出于政治目的进行报复[1]。明尼苏达州临时医疗主管康诺利表示，联邦政府未曾提供数据或解释来支持其决定[1]。加州医疗主任在向国会委员会作证时指出，医疗保险与医疗补助中心（CMS）未能提供任何具体的欺诈、浪费或滥用实例[1]。
相关背景包括，副总统万斯在2024年3月启动了新的反欺诈工作组[1]。此前纽约的案例表明，CMS在2024年4月承认在欺诈调查中使用的数据存在重大错误[1]。
The Trump administration has announced the deferral of more than $1 billion in Medicaid payments to California and Minnesota, citing allegations of fraud and non-compliance [1]. California faces a suspension of $867.5 million, while Minnesota's deferral amounts to $199 million [1].
Health Secretary Kennedy justified the action by stating the administration has "a duty to stop the payments, demand answers and then follow the evidence wherever it leads," characterizing the move as a preventive measure rather than a retroactive recovery effort [1]. The administration framed the deferral as part of its broader anti-fraud strategy aimed at saving taxpayer money [1].
The two states have pushed back against the decision. Minnesota's interim Medicaid director Connelly indicated that the federal government provided no data or explanation for the deferral [1]. California Governor Newsom accused the administration of engaging in politically motivated retaliation [1]. In testimony before a congressional committee, California's Medicaid director stated that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had not provided any specific examples of fraud, waste, or abuse [1].
The action comes after Vice President JD Vance launched a new anti-fraud task force in March 2024 [1]. The credibility of the administration's fraud claims faces scrutiny following a New York case in which CMS acknowledged in April 2024 that it had used data containing significant errors in a fraud investigation [1].