Legislative Update
Friends and Neighbors,
I hope you had a safe and happy Independence Day! Earlier this week House Republicans held a press conference on recent fraud cases where we described just how deep the fraud runs in this state.
This graphic shows most of the known fraud cases from the last couple of years. Keep in mind that this is only the fraud that we know about, and there could very well be more.
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Minnesotans are starting to notice just how poorly the Walz Administration and the DFL majority are handling fraud cases, and how they're failing to prevent them in the first place.
For example, take this bombshell headline from today's StarTribune:
The article describes the growing concerns about the oversight of public funds under Governor Tim Walz’s administration. Specifically, it references the Feeding Our Future fraud case where fraudsters took over $250 million of taxpayer dollars and the $500 million frontline worker pay program where an audit found that a significant amount of payments may have been made to ineligible persons.
Not only that, but the Walz Admin seems to not take any recommendations from the Legislative Auditor seriously.
From the article:
The OLA is Minnesota's nonpartisan government watchdog, an office long respected by both political parties. But over the past several years, Legislative Auditor Judy Randall said she's noticed state agencies becoming less receptive to audits critical of their work.
"I have seen increasing rejection of our findings and recommendations. Or denial or dismissiveness or excuses," Randall, who's worked in the office for 26 years, said in an interview. "There's definitely a shoot-the-messenger feeling."
So not only is the Walz Administration allowing fraud to occur with lax oversight, but they're also hostile to a nonpartisan watchdog who recommends commonsense fixes to better protect taxpayer dollars.
My House Republican colleagues and I are calling for stronger regulatory measures to ensure that public funds are used appropriately. Without stringent oversight, taxpayer money remains vulnerable to fraud and waste.
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