Dear Neighbor,
Greetings from the House, where this week we reach 60 days from the 2024 session’s adjournment. More on what that means in a bit, but first let’s get into some other issues:
Saturday’s attempted assassination of Donald Trump that resulted in the death of another citizen (a firefighter) was a horrifying event that left people throughout our nation shaken, regardless of their political leanings. It will be interesting to see if long-term impacts result, but it certainly seems as though the atmosphere has changed the last few days. I am optimistic we will look back at this time as a unifying moment where Americans came together for a movement, something bigger than just one person with inflammatory rhetoric set aside.
In other news:
Minnesota autism centers are now being investigated for possible Medicaid fraud. Reports show that the number of providers has increased 700% in the last five years, and payments to those providers has exploded by 3,000%. Sources who administer Medical Assistance see widespread concern about fraud in the program.
This is just the latest in a series of fraud cases that have arisen in Minnesota right under the Walz administration’s nose, with taxpayers the victims due to lax oversight. But taxpayer theft is only part of the story in this case because there are separate questions to ask: Is the autism system being abused? Is autism exploding due to expanding government-coerced/sponsored vaccination practices? A combination of both? Is this another case of government creating a problem so now we must spend taxpayer dollars to fund a solution, except this time kids are harmed in the process?
The CDC says more children are being diagnosed with autism than ever before. Is this because we are simply diagnosing it more often, or is there something else going on? Long story short, legitimate questions pertaining to fraud and autism itself need to be answered to help get to the bottom of this case.
This investigation into autism centers comes after the Office of the Legislative Auditor last month reported lax administration created opportunities for an estimated $250 million in taxpayer revenue to be the subject of fraud in the Feeding our Future program. That news came just after the OLA reported it found payments intended to support people who worked on the front lines during the pandemic were made to people who were not eligible or whose eligibility could not be determined. This included fraudulent duplicate applications, such as many from people who were deceased long before this program opened. In addition, the Department of Revenue did not verify all applicants met the adjusted gross income requirements. Again, lax oversight by the Walz administration costing taxpayers.
This rampant fraud in state programs is is one major reason we need to restore balance at the Capitol and put an end to the losses taxpayers continue suffering with a lack of accountability under one-party control.
60-day deadline
This week brings us to 60 days from the end of the 2024 session, at which point House members are prohibited from emailing newsletters such as this until after the November election. In the meantime, I will continue doing my job as always to represent the people of District 11A. Your individual correspondence always is welcome and I will continue meeting with local residents to discuss whatever issues are important to you. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help!
Until next time, I hope to see you around the district.
Sincerely,
Shane