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Good morning!

As we move fully into the holiday season, I hope you and your family have had a smooth and joyful start. The weeks between Christmas and the New Year are often busy, but they also offer a chance to pause, reflect, and spend time with loved ones. With the end of the year approaching, I want to take a moment to share a few updates from St. Paul and highlight what has been happening as we prepare for the work ahead in the new year.






Federal Response to Walz's Legacy of Fraud

After years of fraud across the state on Walz's watch, it's refreshing and encouraging that the issue has been getting national attention recently. This week was no exception, as Education Secretary Linda McMahon [ [link removed] ] and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollin [ [link removed] ] each wrote letters to Walz this week regarding his careless behavior. 

Secretary McMahon's letter raised serious concerns about fraud within Minnesota’s college financial aid system. The letter points to a federal investigation that uncovered thousands of fraudulent college applications tied to so called ghost students who were not properly identity verified, did not attend classes, and still received federal grants and loans. Federal officials found that more than 1,800 of these cases in Minnesota resulted in roughly $12.5 million in taxpayer funded aid being issued without legitimate enrollment or coursework. Secretary McMahon criticized the lack of oversight and accountability and called for stronger safeguards to protect students and taxpayers from future abuse.

Secretary Rollin's letter called on Walz to take immediate action to strengthen oversight of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. The letter urges the state to recertify SNAP recipients in four counties, Hennepin, Ramsey, Washington, and Wright, as part of a federal pilot effort focused on identifying fraud and improper payments. Secretary Rollins emphasized the need to verify eligibility through income checks, interviews, and federal data tools to ensure benefits are going only to those who qualify. The letter comes amid ongoing federal scrutiny of welfare fraud in Minnesota and reflects growing concern about the state’s lack of accountability in managing taxpayer funded assistance programs.

I will keep an eye on how these letters are received by the Governor's office, and how these fraud issues progress. 






First Assistant U.S. Attorney, Speaks on Fraud Investigations

Joe Thompson, First Assistant U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, held a press conference just yesterday to share updates on fraud investigations and prosecution across the state. As we've known for months or "years", several programs (Feeding Our Future, EIDBI, Housing Stabilization Services) have been defrauded either partially or entirely.

Thompson addressed the growing scope of fraud uncovered in Minnesota and warned that it has reached a level unlike anything federal prosecutors have seen before. Thompson said this is not a matter of a few bad actors skimming money or overbilling, but cases where entire programs appear to be fraudulent from top to bottom. He also acknowledged that the scale of the fraud is so large that it is impossible for federal authorities to prosecute every case, even as investigations and indictments continue. His remarks underscore how deeply rooted these problems are and why stronger oversight and fraud prevention at the state level are urgently needed to protect taxpayer dollars before they are lost.

Hauser tweet [ [link removed] ]

The gist of the press conference is this: across 14 state-run programs over $18 billion has been billed since 2019. Through these investigations, it has become clear that *at least $9 billion** has been lost to fraud*. I am thankful for the work of Joe Thompson and his office, and will continue to fight for answers and solutions as the investigations continue.

Thompson [ [link removed] ]

If you are interested in hearing what Attorney Thompson said during the conference, click the video above for the livestream. 






Shoutouts

To all students, from elementary school to college, I want to wish you well as you reflect on this past semester and wrap up your studies before Christmas break. 

Congratulations to Osakis sixth grader Lucy Dahlheimer, who won the school Spelling Bee this week. She will advance to the Regional Spelling Bee on February 17th in Fergus Falls, with a chance to move on to the national competition in Washington, D.C.

Lucy [ [link removed] ]










Please Contact Me

If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-3201 or [email protected] I would love to hear from you.

It’s an honor to represent the best!

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2802 Centennial Office Building          658 Cedar Street                              Saint Paul, MN 55155 [email protected]
651.296.3201







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