House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., announced Friday that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison will testify before Congress on March 4 as part of an expanding investigation into widespread fraud and abuse.
The hearing, titled “Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota: Part II,” is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. and will examine what Republicans describe as a massive failure of leadership that allowed billions of taxpayer dollars to be stolen.
“Americans deserve answers about the rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs that occurred on Governor Walz’s and Attorney General Ellison’s watch,” Comer said in a statement.
“The House Oversight Committee recently heard sworn testimony from Minnesota state lawmakers who stated that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison failed to act to stop this widespread fraud and retaliated against whistleblowers who raised concerns.”
The committee launched its investigation last month following findings by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota uncovering extensive fraud and money laundering schemes within the state’s social services system.
According to the committee, Somali-led criminals in Minnesota are believed to have stolen an estimated $9 billion in taxpayer funds meant to feed children, support autistic children, provide housing for low-income and disabled Americans, and deliver healthcare to vulnerable Medicaid recipients.
The probe gained further momentum after the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor released a report on Jan. 6 detailing serious failures within the Department of Human Services’ Behavioral Health Administration.
The report found the agency failed to comply with most requirements and lacked basic internal controls to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
One example cited in the report involved a grantee who received nearly $680,000 for just one month of work but could not provide documentation showing the work was completed.
The grant manager who approved the payment left the agency days later to take a job with the grant recipient.
The upcoming hearing follows a Jan. 7 Oversight Committee hearing — the first part of the investigation — where Minnesota lawmakers testified about long-standing concerns they say were ignored by state leadership.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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