Republican lawmakers in the U.S. Senate have invited social media influencers Nick Shirley and James O’Keefe to testify as part of renewed efforts to investigate alleged fraud involving taxpayer-funded programmes and voter registration.
The hearing before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee focused on videos published by both men, which Republicans say exposed suspected abuse of public funds and election-related misconduct.
Shirley gained widespread attention after posting videos that he claimed showed taxpayer-funded daycare centres with no children in attendance and healthcare facilities in Minnesota operating without patients.
Meanwhile, O’Keefe, founder and CEO of O’Keefe Media Group, told senators he went undercover as a homeless man in Los Angeles to investigate alleged voter registration fraud.
During the hearing, O’Keefe described what he claimed to have witnessed while secretly recording interactions with canvassers.
“We recorded over the shoulder, one petitioner who took out his phone to access an online database to pull voter rules and addresses. The petitioner says I’m going to give an address to write. Your name is Robert and says I’m giving you a new name,” he told lawmakers.
One of the videos presented at the hearing also captured a woman allegedly telling individuals she was paying them during the voter registration process.
“Now because you haven’t registered, I need to register you so I can get paid too. I’m paying you guys. I need to get paid,” the woman was heard saying.
Shirley argued that authorities should have been able to detect such activities if they were taking place.
“People often wonder how come this fraud became so big and so rampant and the reason is because no one actually ever looked into it,” he said.
He urged lawmakers to strengthen efforts against fraud, adding, “It is my wish while sitting in front of you guys today that you take action and help Americans by cracking down on all of the fraud and to simply put Americans first.”
According to the Government Accountability Office, fraud is estimated to cost the U.S. government between $233 billion and $521 billion annually, based on fiscal year data from 2018 to 2022.
Committee Chairman Senator Rand Paul criticised government spending and oversight.
“Washington taxes, the American people. Washington borrows against our grandchildren’s future earnings then Washington sends billions of dollars out the door often without knowing who receives it, if any service was performed or even if the business exists,” he said.
Senator Joni Ernst also argued that fraud remains widespread, saying, “If you can’t find waste fraud and abuse in Washington, you’re not looking.”
Most Democratic members of the committee did not attend the hearing. However, the committee’s ranking member, Senator Gary Peters, said Republicans should also scrutinise President Donald Trump’s administration if they were serious about tackling fraud.
Peters criticised Trump’s dismissal of 19 Inspectors General, saying, “He removed experienced independent investigators with a strong record of identifying waste and fraud and replaced them with cronies.”
The U.S. Department of Justice has already charged 15 people in Minnesota over alleged daycare and Medicaid fraud schemes involving approximately $90 million.
In a separate development, the woman featured in one of O’Keefe’s undercover videos has agreed to plead guilty to paying people, including homeless individuals, to register to vote
