John,
This week, our nation paused to remember September 11th on its 25th anniversary, and I joined my Minnesota colleagues in pressing Governor Walz for answers on yet another fraud scandal. Here's what you need to know.
Yesterday marked 25 years since radical Islamic terrorists attacked our country and murdered nearly 3,000 innocent Americans in New York, at the Pentagon, and outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. We remember the firefighters, police officers, first responders, and ordinary Americans who ran toward danger when others were running for their lives. We remember the thousands who have suffered and died in the years since from illnesses caused by the toxic air at Ground Zero. And we remember exactly what September 11th was: an act of unspeakable evil met by extraordinary courage. Honoring those we lost requires more than lowering our flags once a year. It requires us to remain strong, confront evil without apology, and never forget what we are capable of when Americans stand together.
That is why it was so disappointing to watch New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sign his city's 9/11 remembrance orders last week, only to have the ceremonial pen passed to his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, a lawyer who spent years defending an al-Qaeda terrorist whose sister was married to one of the Pentagon hijackers. This is the same radical mayor who sat down for an interview with Hasan Piker, a hate-mongering commentator who brazenly claimed the United States deserved 9/11 and then took months to condemn it. More than 100,000 people signed a petition started by 9/11 families demanding this mayor stay far away from Ground Zero. It is an absolute disgrace that the leader of our country's greatest city surrounds himself with terrorist apologists and anti-American voices.
Refocusing on Minnesota, I joined Congressman Brad Finstad, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Congressman Pete Stauber in demanding answers from Governor Walz about yet another fraud scandal that went unchecked for years. A Minnesota Public Radio News investigation found that companies tied to Liberian government official Sekou Dukuly collected roughly $36 million in public money to operate Minnesota group homes. During that time, state investigators examined suspected maltreatment at his facilities 22 times, including cases involving residents who died. Dukuly even moved to Liberia in 2024, yet the state still listed him as the director of three Minnesota group homes as recently as August 2026. Only after reporters started asking questions did the state suspend Medicaid payments and move to shut down three homes. We've seen this same pattern with Feeding Our Future, housing stabilization, and child care assistance. Minnesotans should not have to wait for a newsroom to do the job the Walz administration is supposed to be doing, and I will keep pushing until that changes.
