Congressional Republicans call on Minnesota’s Tim Walz to testify

Republicans in Congress on Wednesday called on Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to testify over an ongoing social services fraud scandal, as the White House signaled it might expand its investigations to other blue states.

A day after the Trump administration said it would freeze hundreds of millions of dollars in child care funding to Minnesota, House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited Walz and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, to appear before the panel on Feb. 10.

“Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are either asleep at the wheel or complicit in a massive fraud involving taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social service programs,” Comer said. He said in a statement on Wednesday:.

An earlier hearing scheduled for Jan. 7 will include Minnesota state officials who sounded the alarm or investigated fraud.

“American taxpayers demand and deserve to be held accountable for the theft of their hard-earned money,” he continued.

Walz, who took office in 2019, has faced criticism in recent months for fraud scams that occurred during his administration. He has recently faced calls to resign. The scandals date back several years and may have cost taxpayers billions of dollars, according to prosecutors.

Republicans, including President Donald Trump, have capitalized on reports of fraud targeting Walz and other Democratic leaders as well as Somalis living in Minnesota.

Also Wednesday, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a meeting: Appeared on “Fox & Friends”Other states may be next, and Trump agreed that the citizenship of the Somali Americans involved should be revoked.

“Minnesota is at the top of the list, but we know there’s massive fraud in blue states across this country. Look at California. Look at New York. All of those states will be under investigation and evaluation when it comes to this administration,” Leavitt said.

“A large portion of the Minnesota Scam, up to 90%, stems from people coming into our country illegally from Somalia,” Trump said Wednesday. he said. Real Social post There he also attacked Rep. Ilhan Omar, a Minnesota Democrat and the first Somali American to serve in Congress. Trump called Omar an “ungrateful loser.”

“Tramps like this can only be a liability to the greatness of our Country. Send them back from where they came from, perhaps Somalia, the worst and most corrupt country in the world,” Trump said. He also called Walz a “crooked governor.”

Walz, Kamala Harris’ running mate in the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.

“This is Trump’s long game. We’ve spent years fighting fraudsters. This is a serious problem, but that’s been his plan all along. He’s politicizing the issue to block funding for programs that help Minnesotans,” Walz said. Published on Tuesday on X.

Freezing child care money and FBI Director Kash Patel’s announcement on Sunday The swarm of federal agents in Minnesota follows a viral video posted by a conservative influencer over the weekend purporting to show non-functioning child care facilities that receive federal funding.

The video brought renewed attention to long-running allegations of fraud that raised questions about Walz’s leadership and led to the large Somali community in Minnesota being targeted for its alleged role in various schemes.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Deputy Assistant Secretary Jim O’Neill and Deputy Assistant Secretary Alex Adams announced the funding freeze at a meeting. Stream Tuesday on X. O’Neill also announced a nationwide verification system to authorize child care payments, requested Walz investigate people suspected of fraud, and announced a fraud reporting hotline.

“We believe that the state of Minnesota has allowed scammers and fake day care providers to siphon off millions of taxpayer dollars over the last decade,” O’Neill said.

“Funds will be released only when states prove that these funds were spent lawfully,” O’Neill wrote. next post.

Vice President J.D. Vance applauded the move.

“Setting out payments and requiring verification before taxpayer money goes out the door is one of the most important steps we can take to end fraud in Minnesota. But there will be many more steps to come,” Vance said. in question On Tuesday

Attorney General Pam Bondi on Monday sent He said 98 people were charged and more than 60 were found guilty in court. According to Bondi, 85 of those accused are of Somali origin.

“We have other prosecutions as well… PULL YOUR BELT, DEPUTIES!” Bondi said in X.

Investigations into Minnesota’s social services program go back several years. A federal prosecutor in Minnesota said: earlier this month More than a dozen Medicaid-funded programs are being investigated, he said, and half of the $18 billion in taxpayer funds spent on those programs since 2018 may have been stolen.

A Covid-era scam based at a Minnesota nonprofit called Feeding Our Future has led to indictments against dozens of defendants who allegedly stole $250 million in taxpayer funds.

Walz has come under criticism for allowing the fraud to occur on his watch. A group this weekend Minnesota Republicans He called on Walz to resign, citing the state’s “fraud crisis.”

House Majority Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., also called on Walz to resign. In an appearance on CNBC on Wednesday, Emmer praised the Trump administration’s actions and took aim at his state’s governor.

“Tim Walz’s incompetence and inaction harmed every Minnesotan, and now Walz is suffering the consequences,” Emmer said. “His failed leadership allowed billions of dollars to be stolen from hard-working Minnesota taxpayers.”