Exclusive | Gavin Newsom asks taxpayers for another $1 million to fight Medi-Cal fraud probes

Gov.Gavin Newsom wants another $1 million in taxpayer money to defend his administration as Congress probes California’s Medi-Cal fraud crisis and alleged oversight failures.A letter obtained by The California Post shows state legislators were alerted last week that Newsom is seeking a $1 million infusion to respond to legal issues around Medi-Cal program integrity, hospice fraud and emergency health care coverage provided to undocumented immigrants.The money will pay for legal defense as California faces federal scrutiny of fraudulent billing in government-funded healthcare programs.

The funding request via the Department of Finance — which follows previous allocations to the governor’s office of $500,000 in September 2025 and another $750,000 in April — comes after the House Oversight Committee launched an investigation in March demanding records from Newsom about California’s licensing and oversight of hospice providers.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story Assemblymember David Tangipa (R-Fresno) accused Gov.Gavin Newsom of sticking taxpayers with the cost of answering questions about fraud that festered under his watch.“Newsom might want to get Medi-Cal under control before he starts measuring the drapes anywhere else,” Tangipa said, alluding to the Democratic governor’s presidential ambitions.“California lost hundreds of millions to hospice fraud, and now taxpayers are being forced to pay a million-dollar legal bill to defend the mess.”Newsom’s office said California is cooperating with Congress but accused Republican investigators of pursuing a partisan campaign against states that opposed President Trump.“Despite the transparent political motives of these investigations, as they have targeted states that did not vote for the Presiden...