WASHINGTON—Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, announced on Dec. 31 that the panel will hold hearings focused on fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs.
The committee is scheduled to hold a hearing on Jan. 7 titled “Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota: Part I.” The witnesses are Minnesota state Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson, and Marion Rarick. More witnesses could appear.
“American taxpayers demand and deserve accountability for the theft of their hard-earned money,” Comer said.
The Department of Justice has been investigating and prosecuting fraud in Minnesota. The department said it has charged 98 individuals, and more than 60 have pleaded guilty or been convicted.
“Congress has a duty to conduct rigorous oversight of this heist and enact stronger safeguards to prevent fraud in taxpayer-funded programs, as well as strong sanctions to hold offenders accountable,” Comer said.
The committee also announced a hearing on Feb. 10 with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. It is unclear whether they will appear. The Epoch Times has reached out to Walz’s and Ellison’s offices to inquire whether they plan to attend.
Walz has issued several statements asserting that his administration has been fighting fraud.
“Over the last three years we have made systematic changes to state government,” he wrote in a Star-Tribune column reprinted in a Dec. 15 news release.
“Detecting fraud is resource intensive and time consuming—especially when it comes to the federal Medicaid programs that have a complex interplay between private insurance companies and federal, state and county governments. Is it impossible? No. We have made significant progress. We have much more to do.”
Likewise, Ellison said his department has been working alongside federal officials to root out Medicaid fraud.
“Minnesotans are a generous people, and we believe in supporting folks who need a helping hand,” he said in a news release. “It boils my blood that fraudsters are taking advantage of that generosity, and my office and I will gladly partner with all those who are also committed to holding fraudsters accountable.”
The House committee will conduct transcribed interviews with Minnesota state officials and hold hearings on fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs.
“This misconduct cannot be swept aside, and Congress will not stop until taxpayers get the answers and accountability they deserve,” Comer said.
The Minnesota fraud has consisted of child care centers and other programs allegedly being used as a cover by mostly Somalis for billions of dollars in stolen taxpayer dollars that have gone toward luxury items, the terrorist group al-Shabaab, and other things.
The committee expanded its investigation into fraud in Minnesota on Dec. 22, requesting information from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Attorney General Pam Bondi, in addition to transcribed interviews with Minnesota state officials. Walz is not one of the officials.
“Whistleblowers have made it clear that American taxpayers were defrauded in Minnesota, raising serious questions about whether Gov. Walz and Attorney General [Keith] Ellison failed to act or were complicit in the theft,” Comer said in a statement.
“The House Oversight Committee is aggressively investigating widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs and the failures of Gov. Walz’s administration that allowed taxpayer funds to be funneled to terrorist networks responsible for the deaths of Americans.”
The committee requested information and staff-level briefings by the Justice Department and the Treasury Department on their investigations into fraud in Minnesota by Jan. 9.
The Epoch Times has reached out to the Treasury Department for comment. The Justice Department previously confirmed that it received the request from the committee but declined to comment further.
