Jared Hudson isn’t running for U.S. Senate to sit quietly in Washington or shake hands at cocktail parties. He’s running because something is rotten in the way our government handles taxpayer money, and folks in Alabama are the ones getting stuck with the bill.

When a concerned citizen and a 23-year-old independent journalist can uncover billions of dollars in fraud that federal agencies either missed or ignored, it tells you everything you need to know.

The problem isn’t a lack of laws. It’s a lack of backbone. And Jared Hudson has plenty of that. 

For years, Washington has been shoveling out massive sums of money through federal programs with little follow-up and even less accountability. These programs are sold as compassionate, fair, and necessary, but once the checks are written, no one seems all that interested in where the money actually goes.

It flows from the federal government to the states, then to nonprofits, then to subcontractors, until it disappears into a maze no one wants to map. The people who were supposed to be helped see very little, while taxpayers are told to keep paying and stop asking questions. 

This isn’t some complicated mystery. Fraud thrives where oversight is weak and courage is weaker. Fake dependents, duplicate benefit claims, shell nonprofits, padded invoices, and services that never happened are all common tricks.

Billions of dollars meant for healthcare, housing, and aid end up lining pockets, buying property, funding overseas transfers, or keeping shady organizations alive.

Meanwhile, Alabama families are paying higher taxes, rural hospitals are barely hanging on, and working folks are told there’s just not enough money to go around. 

So why hasn’t the government stopped it? Because the system rewards spending, not protecting. Agencies get bigger budgets for moving money fast, not for saving it. Calling out fraud brings headaches, bad press, and angry interest groups. It’s easier to look the other way. 

Paperwork gets filed, boxes get checked, and everyone pretends the system is working. That is how scams grow right under the nose of Washington insiders who should know better.

This problem exploded under years of leadership that cared more about slogans than results. Diversity buzzwords and “build a bridge” politics replaced hard standards and serious enforcement.

Asking questions became offensive. Auditing became optional. Oversight was treated like cruelty. Inclusion without rules is not kindness. It’s an engraved invitation for abuse, and bad actors took full advantage. 

Alabama feels the consequences every day. When federal money is wasted or stolen, it doesn’t hurt some faceless bureaucracy.

It hurts our hospitals, our schools, our law enforcement, and our communities. It hurts the legal immigrants who followed the rules and want to be part of American life. It hurts taxpayers who work hard, play by the rules, and expect their government to do the same. 

That’s where Jared Hudson comes in.

As a former law enforcement officer, Hudson learned early that you don’t fix problems by pretending they aren’t there. You fix them by asking tough questions and following the evidence, even when it makes people uncomfortable. As U.S. Senator, he will take that same mindset to Washington and fight on the front lines for Alabama. 

Hudson will push for real audits, not political theater. If federal programs can’t show where the money went and what it accomplished, the funding should stop.

He will demand clear accountability so every dollar can be tracked from Washington to its final destination. He will work to cut off nonprofits and contractors that fail audits or can’t prove they delivered results. No more blank checks. No more trust without verification. 

He will also stand up for whistleblowers and everyday citizens who speak out. When regular Americans and independent journalists are doing the job Washington won’t, the answer isn’t to silence them. It’s to back them up.

Hudson will fight to make sure fraud is shared across agencies and states so scammers can’t just move their operation and keep stealing.

This is not about being heartless. It’s about being responsible. A government that refuses to enforce the law is not compassionate. It’s careless.

President Trump has taken steps to expose waste and fraud, but one man cannot fix a system that has been broken for decades. Alabama needs a senator who won’t hide behind committees or talking points.

Jared Hudson is ready to roll up his sleeves and do the work. No backroom deals. No looking the other way. Just straight talk, hard questions, and a promise to protect the people who actually pay the bills.

Washington may be comfortable with the status quo, but Alabama isn’t. And with Jared Hudson in the Senate, they won’t be for long.

Laura Johnston Clark is a wife, mother, and businesswoman. She grew up in the Wiregrass and now lives in Birmingham with her husband, retired Air Force Colonel David Etheredge. She is a member of the Alabama Republican Party.