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.

The 205-page report, released by the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and titled “The Cost of Doing Nothing: How Tim Walz and Keith Ellison Fueled Minnesota’s Fraud Explosion,”is culmination of a year-long investigation that included hearings, whistleblower testimony and document reviews.

It 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.

The Republican majority committee asserts that:

“Testimony and documents obtained to date establish a consistent pattern: fraud warnings were elevated to the most senior levels of the Minnesota state government, meaningful corrective action was delayed or avoided, and payments continued long after credible signs of fraud emerged,” the report says.

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.

More here

Tagged: Capitol Hill BACK TO HOMEPAGE