Trump administration to pay YouTuber Nick Shirley $10,000 and launch $25 million fraud-reporting bounty program

US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance said on Tuesday that the government will pay $10,000 to right-wing YouTuber Nick Shirley and open a $25 million bounty program in which anyone can report suspected fraud. Shirley became widely known for a video alleging fraud at Minnesota daycares, and the administration has publicly praised his work.

The program and the rewards

The administration told Fox News it is creating the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program (WHIP), with a $25 million pool open to anyone who believes they have witnessed fraud. A government website says there is particular emphasis on hospice care, home healthcare, daycares and special services. A chatbot asks reporters to briefly describe what they saw, heard or read, and to add names, dates, amounts or records if available.

According to Fox News and the portal, people who flag fraud can receive up to $30,000 if their tip leads to a conviction or significant federal action. Trump, however, spoke differently on Tuesday: if $1 billion in fraud is found, the tipster would get a 1 percent commission, and the same would apply to even larger sums. One percent of $1 billion would exceed $30,000. The White House did not immediately explain how Shirley's $10,000 was calculated or how the program is funded.

Shirley's role

In December 2025, Shirley published a video alleging fraud at Minnesota daycares run by members of the local Somali community. He lingered in parking lots, asked to enter childcare centers and treated refusals as evidence that children were not being cared for. After the video spread, federal immigration agents arrived in the Minneapolis area and the administration froze Minnesota's federal childcare funding.

Shirley has since visited other states, showing up unannounced at grocery stores and hospice centers. His methods have been criticized, especially in Minnesota, where broad fraud investigations were already under way before he arrived. Subsequent visits by state officials to the centers he featured found them operating "as expected."