Rep. Knudsen – Disappointed in Walz Administration’s Failures to Address Fraud and Abuse Saint Paul, MN — Two major releases by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) this week highlight fraud and abuse in both the Frontline Worker Program and the oversight of Feeding Our Future. Representative Krista Knudsen (R – Lake Shore) shares her perspective on the findings of these two reports: “These programs were sold to the public as ways to help lift up our fellow citizens and acknowledge those facing difficult times, instead millions of taxpayer dollars went to fraudulent applicants and criminals stealing food out of the mouths of children.” Said Rep. Knudsen. “It is completely disheartening that the Walz administration and those in charge of oversight at the Department of Education would allow millions of taxpayer dollars to be handed over to fraudsters; made even worse by the fact that these funds were intended to feed our youngest and most vulnerable Minnesotans.” “The victims here are the children who didn’t receive meals and the frontline workers whose payments were greatly reduced by the over 40% of applicants whose eligibility could not be verified. These are Minnesotans who had to work through awful circumstances imposed by government tyranny and then the Walz administration couldn’t even be bothered to properly administrate the program meant to support these hard-working Minnesotans.” “I hope these reports will be a wake-up call for the executive branch that Minnesotans deserve better and that we should expect better from those elected to lead our state. After Democrats with total control of state government raised taxes by nearly 10 billion dollars Minnesota families can’t afford this level of waste, fraud, and abuse. It is unacceptable for the state to be throwing money away when families across the state are struggling to pay their bills and put food on the table.” The Frontline Worker OLA Report can be found here, and the Oversight of Feeding Our Future OLA Report can be found here. |