US President Donald Trump has called on Congress to introduce mandatory prison sentences for people convicted of defrauding federal benefit programmes, including Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security.
Drivetvnews gathered that Trump made the proposal in a video shared on Truth Social, arguing that those who steal from programmes meant to support vulnerable Americans should face lengthy prison terms.
Under the proposed legislation, Trump said probation would no longer be available to people convicted of fraud involving the programmes. He also proposed that the length of imprisonment should increase according to the amount stolen.
Trump further called for tougher punishment for repeat offenders, proposing that the prison sentence of a convicted fraudster caught committing the offence for a second time should be doubled.
The US President also proposed holding state and local politicians personally responsible for losses caused by fraud if they were aware of the wrongdoing, had the authority to stop it and failed to take action.
However, Trump did not provide specific sentencing ranges or explain the legal criteria that would determine whether an elected official knowingly allowed fraud to continue.
The proposal comes as the Trump administration intensifies efforts to tackle fraud involving government-funded benefit programmes.
Trump said the proposed measures were intended to discourage individuals from defrauding the government and compel public officials to act when they become aware of fraudulent activities.
He ended his message with a warning to fraudsters that federal authorities would continue monitoring such activities.
