House Republicans grill Gov. Tim Walz about alleged Minnesota fraud

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, faced sharp questioning March 4 during a contentious House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing that examined allegations of widespread fraud tied to federally funded programs in his state. Lawmakers pressed Walz on how much he knew about the fraud and why his administration didn’t stop it sooner.

As Zeale News previously reported, in December 2025, federal authorities began investigating suspected fraud across multiple Minnesota programs, including small business lending, child nutrition initiatives, Medicaid billing, autism programs, and housing programs. Prosecutors have so far secured 64 convictions and estimated that potential losses tied to the schemes could exceed $9 billion. 

Earlier March 4, the GOP-led committee released a 54-page interim report from its ongoing probe that said Walz and state Attorney General Keith Ellison “were aware of widespread fraud in federally funded social services programs for years, possessed the legal and procedural authority to stop payments, but repeatedly failed to act.”

During the hearing, Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, pressed Walz about allegations that state employees who raised concerns about fraud faced retaliation. He said some employees reported being denied promotions and vacation requests. 

“How come multiple whistleblowers have said that your administration told them not to say anything about widespread fraud across multiple agencies, because doing so would be considered racist or Islamophobic?” Gill asked, adding that Walz’s office had treated whistleblowers “like absolute dirt.”

“I can’t speak to it because it’s not anything I would say,” Walz responded.

According to Gill, one whistleblower report said, “There’s just a continuous effort to stifle you, to shut you up, and it’s impossible to overcome.” Gill said another described the Walz administration's response to reports of fraud as “unbearable retaliation.”

Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., similarly pressed Walz on early warnings regarding the alleged fraud. He said whistleblowers raised concerns with senior state officials as early as 2019, but broad payment suspensions didn’t occur until federal intervention in late 2025.

Walz defended his administration’s response, telling lawmakers he oversees roughly 40,000 state employees and arguing that officials took action when problems emerged and sought federal assistance to investigate any fraud.

Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, questioned Walz about his administration’s decision to resume funding the Feeding Our Future program after a brief monthlong pause in 2021 due to fraud concerns. 

“You said the reason you restarted [the payments] is because the court ordered you to do so. Is that right?” Jordan asked, adding that the court later issued a statement saying Walz’s claim that it ordered the payments to resume was “false.” 

Walz said the attorneys at the state’s Education Department “interpreted that differently.”

“Somebody’s lying,” Jordan said. “Either you’re lying, or the court’s lying. And I’m just asking you which one is it? And you can’t tell me. 98 people have been indicted. Do you know how many are Somalian? 85%. A key voting bloc. I think that’s what drove this whole thing.”

The Feeding Our Future scandal is one of the largest alleged fraud cases in the state. As Zeale News previously reported, prosecutors said the nonprofit group siphoned off more than $250 million in taxpayer funds during the COVID-19 pandemic through fake meal sites, shell companies, and falsified invoices.

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., delivered another tense exchange when she questioned Walz about spending under Minnesota’s Medicaid autism services program, which reportedly grew from roughly $1 million in 2017 to $343 million in 2024.

When Mace asked how many children live in Minnesota and how many have autism diagnoses, Walz said he did not have the exact numbers and told lawmakers he was “not here to be your prop.”

In a press release issued after the hearing, Comer said that the committee’s ongoing investigation is working with the Trump administration to “stop fraud before more money is stolen.”

“Accountability shouldn’t begin only after federal prosecutors step in and clean up the damage,” he added. “Accountability should compel leaders to act, and here, they didn’t.”