President Trump referred to public benefits fraud in Massachusetts during his State of the Union address Tuesday night while promising a “war on fraud” after several SNAP schemes were uncovered in the Bay State along with recent whistleblower allegations of a lackluster response by state officials.

“There’s been no more stunning example than Minnesota. Where members of the Somali community have pillaged an estimated $19 billion from the American tax bill, we have all the information. And in actuality, the number is much higher than that,” said Trump. “And California, Massachusetts, Maine, and many other states are even worse. This is the kind of corruption that shreds the fabric of a nation. And we are working on it like you wouldn’t believe it.”

Trump then announced that he is declaring a “war on fraud,” to be led by Vice President J.D. Vance, promising a balanced budget if successful.

“This could be it. We’ll get it done. And we’re able to find enough of that fraud. We will actually have a balanced budget overnight. It will go very quickly. That’s the kind of money you’re talking about. A balanced budget. The Somali pirates who ransacked Minnesota remind us that there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption, and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception,” said Trump.

Trump mentioned fraud in Massachusetts just one day after sharing three recent Boston Herald articles on the topic to his personal Truth Social account.

Trump’s announcement comes as Gov. Maura Healey refuses to hand over personal information on Massachusetts SNAP recipients, including immigration status, to the Trump administration and the USDA. Healey says the administration has given her office no assurances that the data will not be passed on to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Trump’s words follow several SNAP fraud busts in Massachusetts totaling tens of millions of dollars by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and state Auditor’s Office.

Earlier this month, the Feds busted a $1 million SNAP fraud scheme that was carried out by a Dominican national, two illegal immigrants and a green card holder who used stolen SNAP benefits to purchase quality meats and other foods to sell for a profit at their Leominster restaurant, El Primo. In December, the U.S. Attorney’s Office also announced the arrests of two Haitian nationals who ran a $7 million SNAP fraud scheme out of their tiny retail store in Mattapan. On top of this, the state Auditor’s Office has uncovered roughly $34 million in SNAP fraud in FY23, FY24 and FY25.

Last week, the Herald reported claims by a whistleblower working in the Massachusetts DTA, who detailed “rampant” fraud within the state’s SNAP-EBT program, dating an extreme uptick in fraud cases back to 2021 during the surge in illegal immigration under the Biden administration. They also noted several concerns with DTA upper management and leadership, including setting a “tone of normalcy” surrounding drastic increases in fraud throughout the state and “in spite of intermittent outcries from staff.”

They also shared internal documents, emails and other communications, including summaries of monthly and quarterly meetings where they and other mid-level staffers repeatedly tried to address and convince leadership to further pursue fraud and abuse within the program.

The DTA denied the allegations saying, in part, “The Department of Transitional Assistance takes every allegation of fraud seriously and has robust systems in place to identify fraud and protect the people of Massachusetts,” in a written statement to the Herald.

The agency added, “SNAP fraud is very rare. Less than 1% of the Massachusetts caseload was found to have committed fraud in FY25.” In a long defense, a DTA spokesman emailed that “extensive actions” are taken “to protect clients from being victimized by fraud.”

The surge in illegal immigration has cost Massachusetts billions of dollars ever since Healey declared a state of emergency over the issue in 2023, utilizing the “Right to Shelter” law to provide free housing, food, and other services to thousands of migrants. The administration spent over $940 million in FY25 and $894 million in FY24 on housing and feeding illegal immigrants and shelter dwellers. Healey ended the state of emergency in August 2025.

Trump started off the speech with strong praise of what he calls an economic rebound under his administration, particularly regarding the job market, a boom in domestic manufacturing, and affordability while trying to ease concerns about the economy as November’s mid-term elections draw closer.

“We’ve achieved a transformation like no one has seen before. It’s a turnaround for the ages,” said Trump. “We will never go back to where we were just a short time ago.”

Trump introduced numerous guests to roaring applause and chants of “USA! USA!” from congressional Republicans as most of the Democrats who attended the address remained seated without applauding.

Trump also championed his national immigration crackdown and slashing of the federal government, as well as his push to preserve widespread tariffs that the Supreme Court just struck down and his ability to direct quick-hit military actions around the world, including in Iran and Venezuela.

The president also addressed the recent Supreme Court decision, decrying the justices who ruled against his signature tariff policies in a 6-3 decision. He shook hands before his speech began with Justice Amy Coney Barrett after previously slamming her for siding with the majority against Trump’s tariffs.

–-The Associated Press contributed to this report 

Members of the United States’ hockey team attend as President Donald Trump delivers the State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)