President Donald Trump awarded Nick Shirley $10,000 in the Oval Office, recognizing his work exposing alleged fraud in Minnesota's child-care system. Shirley's viral video of a "Quality Learning Center" drew national attention to potential misuse of public money.
Trump also unveiled a $25 million nationwide program to compensate Americans who uncover fraud involving federal funds across the country.
Shirley said, "I hope by today, millions of people are empowered inside of the United States to go out and actually make a change inside of your own community."
The program establishes a financial incentive for citizen reporting of fraudulent activities. The White House did not detail specific mechanisms for submitting information or the criteria for qualifying for rewards under the $25 million allocation.
The administration has intensified scrutiny of federal spending programs, particularly those where fraud allegations have emerged at the state level. The Minnesota case reflects the White House's strategy of incentivizing individual contributions to identifying waste.
