President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a $25-million Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program that will pay tipsters a 1% commission on fraud they help uncover, with the president declaring he will personally decide who receives the money.

The program, announced in the Oval Office alongside Vice President JD Vance, is funded by the Treasury Department and administered by the Justice Department. Tips can be submitted through America.gov/fraud.

Trump said whistleblowers — including ordinary citizens and journalists — would be eligible for “1% commission on the amount of fraud the tip helps uncover,” even if the reported fraud runs into the tens of billions. “If anybody turns anybody in… you get a 1 percent commission, and I think that will be amazing, because the kind of money that’s been stolen is trillions from this country,” Trump said. He added that there was “no limit” to what a person could receive, saying “people will make millions of dollars by turning others in”.

The official website, however, states that successful whistleblowers will be paid up to $30,000, dependent on the report resulting in criminal charges — a discrepancy Trump addressed by saying criminal charges are not necessary and there is no cap.

The Justice Department said awards would be issued at its “sole discretion” and range from $10,000 to $30,000 for tips leading to criminal charges.

Trump said he will act as the binding arbitrator in cases where multiple people claim credit for the same tip. “I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” he said. “In other words, I’ll determine whether or not the person is deserving and I’ll determine — and I will be very generous, believe me”. He said money would be paid “if we recover the money” rather than only if charges are brought.

The first award went to Nick Shirley, a 24-year-old pro-Trump YouTuber who posted a video last year alleging that members of Minnesota’s Somali community were running fake childcare centers to collect federal subsidies. A $10,000 check was presented to Shirley, though journalists did not witness the handover.

Shirley’s video was amplified by senior administration officials and cited as the basis for plans to cut some federal funding to Minnesota. The Minnesota Department of Children, Youth and Families disputed some of the claims as misleading and exaggerated, though one Minneapolis woman whose childcare center Shirley profiled later pleaded guilty to fraud charges. “When you expose fraud, you help save America,” Shirley said at the event.

The program builds on the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, created in March 2026 with Vance as chairman. Vance said “99%” of the fraud being found is not covered by the existing False Claims Act, which allows whistleblowers to receive 25% to 30% of recovered proceeds under stricter requirements.

Critics questioned the arrangement. Naomi Seligman, president of nonprofit Whistleblower Aid, said Trump “is more interested in hunting down whistleblowers” and invited him to examine violations by his own administration.

The White House has said Trump acts only in the best interests of the American people, while critics have accused Trump and his family of profiting from the presidency through their business ventures.

The program represents an unusual departure from conventional whistleblower frameworks, which typically rely on independent review and statutory criteria.

By placing the final payout decision with the president personally, the initiative introduces a discretionary element that legal experts say is without recent precedent in federal whistleblower policy.