President Donald Trump presented conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley with a $10,000 check from the Oval Office as the White House launched a program offering rewards to people who report suspected government fraud.
Trump and Vice President JD Vance announced the $25 million Whistleblower Incentive Program, known as WHIP, which offers rewards of up to $30,000 to tipsters whose information leads to a fraud conviction.
Trump said he believes the incentive will “keep a lot of people honest.”
READ: Conservative creator Nick Shirley confronts California immigrant rights group in viral video (August 11, 2026)
During the announcement, Trump said payments would amount to a 1% commission on the value of the fraud uncovered through a tip. He also said he would decide who receives the reward when multiple people claim to have provided the information.
“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump said in the Oval Office, with Vance and other administration officials standing behind him. “It’ll be a binding arbitration.” Trump also said journalists could participate in the program.
Shirley rose to prominence in December 2025 after alleging that nearly a dozen Minnesota daycare centers were receiving public funds without providing services. State officials and Department of Homeland Security agents visited some of the centers in the days after his video spread online.
CBS News reviewed state records and reportedly found that all but two of the centers had active licenses. Regulators had visited the licensed centers within the previous six months. Although the review identified multiple citations for safety and other violations, it found no evidence of fraud as of Dec. 30, 2025.
One of the centers featured in Shirley’s video, Quality Learning Center in Minneapolis, closed in January, according to state records. The state also reported that the center received $1.9 million from Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program in fiscal year 2025.
READ: YouTuber Nick Shirley testifies before Senate on widespread taxpayer fraud schemes (July 16, 2026)
A woman who appeared in one of Shirley’s videos has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
In July, Vance praised Shirley in a post on X.
“Our administration owes a debt of gratitude to Nick Shirley for exposing one of the most egregious cases of fraud this country has ever seen. If the media was worth their salt, they would take notes from Nick and other citizen journalists who care about investigating stories that affect the American people instead of trying to silence them,” Vance said.