A new U.S. House oversight report alleges Minnesota officials were aware of rampant fraud risks in taxpayer-funded social programs for years but failed to act, allowing potentially billions of dollars in taxpayer funds to be lost.

Report Findings

The 205-page report, released by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, concludes that Minnesota state leaders had authority to suspend payments to providers suspected of fraud but often declined to do so without a final legal determination, even as warning signs grew across multiple high-risk programs.

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky, said in a statement accompanying the report that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison are responsible for one of the “most stunning oversight failures” ever examined by the committee.

The report alleges state officials were aware of credible fraud concerns as early as 2019 but did not take decisive action. It also claims that federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, did not instruct Minnesota officials to continue payments to suspected fraudulent providers, contradicting prior explanations offered by state leaders.

Consequences of Inaction

The committee estimates roughly $300 million in federal child nutrition funds were lost in just the Feeding Our Future scheme, while broader taxpayer-funded fraud totals could be as much as $9 billion across multiple programs.

Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, who chaired the committee, highlighted similar concerns about Minnesota’s current political administration earlier this year.

Along with the report, Comer sent a letter to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance requesting a federal review of Minnesota’s social service programs through the federal Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which was established by President Donald Trump in March.

Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.