Hello from the State Capitol,
$250 million in Feeding our Future. $100 million in child care/CCAP. $50 million in Medicaid. $45 million for frontline workers.
All of these are examples of fraud that have taken place during Governor Walz’s tenure. To date, Minnesota’s taxpayers are out more than $1 billion – that we’ve discovered so far – due to crooks who are scamming the system. As our outgoing U.S. Attorney said, “no other states have had the kinds of problems we’ve had with government fraud.”
It’s clear we need significant changes in Minnesota.
Along those lines, House Republicans unveiled a number of plans this week to fight fraud. Highlights of the bills include:
- Establishing a centralized Office of the Inspector General to investigate fraud
- Mandating fraud reporting for state agencies
- Equipping agencies with tools to identify and prevent fraudulent activity
- Provide lawmakers with an evaluation of potential fraud risks before enacting any new program or policies.
- Ensuring fraud prevention recommendations issued by the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor are being implemented by impacted agencies.
When fraud goes unchecked, innocent people that need the most help are the ones who suffer. It cannot be argued that we have a waste, fraud, and abuse problem in this state. Ensuring our tax dollars are well spent should not be a partisan issue. It’s time to move forward.
HOUSE DEMOCRATS MISSING IN ACTION
You have probably heard House Democrats aren’t showing up for work, but that hasn’t stopped them from taking their paychecks.
Democrats are boycotting the House because they want to share power and have an equal say in House business. The problem is, they are in the minority as one of their candidates was caught cheating after being elected in a district in which he does not live, which violates state law. He has since stepped aside, creating a 67-66 Republican majority in the House.
A special election for this seat won’t be held until early to mid-March. So, in theory, House Democrats could stay away from the Capitol until then while taxpayers continue to pay them.
House Republicans have moved forward. We have elected a House Speaker, are holding committee hearings, and doing the job we were elected to do.
While House Democrats aren’t showing up, they are encouraging their surrogates to visit the Capitol. This week, a trans-rights group tried to threaten and intimidate members of the House Public Safety Committee while they were holding a hearing.
Deploying people in masks with bullhorns to go on profanity-laced tirades is an interesting strategy.
To see what committee members had to put up with, click here. Be warned, the audio is vulgar and not safe for work.
MARCH FOR LIFE 2025
On Wednesday, I joined hundreds of Minnesotans from around the state for the 2025 MCCL March for Life.
My thanks to all who attended!
Have a good weekend,
Tom