Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , Link , [ A “war on fraud” will not balance the budget, says Cato’s “The truth is that the fiscal state of the union is not strong. America’s fiscal health will continue to deteriorate unless and until the president and Congress take the entitlement challenge seriously,” During the February 24, 2026, State of the Union address, President Trump officially announced a "War on Fraud" led by Vice President JD Vance, claiming it could result in a "balanced budget overnight". However, fiscal experts and the Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicate that the math does not support this claim. The 2025 federal deficit reached $1.8 trillion, while the highest annual estimate for government-wide fraud is $521 billion—meaning that even if every cent of fraud were eliminated, it would only reduce the deficit by approximately one-third. ]