Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.  WHAT'S NEW? I enjoyed having Goodhue County Administrator Scott Arneson as my guest at the State of the State address this week. Unfortunately, but not surprising, the governor’s message was filled with untruths and was very divisive! Remember, this is the guy who ran on “One Minnesota” and will go down as the most partisan individual to ever hold the office. Is Minnesota better off now then when he started? With $9 billion lost in fraud on his watch, student proficiency dropping, violent crime increasing, and unemployment soaring, I would suggest not. LEGISLATION HIGHLIGHTSWALZ ADMINISTRATION GUTTED FRAUD ENFORCEMENT—AND TAXPAYERS PAID THE PRICE In this week’s fraud committee, we took a hard look at a crisis that state leadership has ignored for years: rampant child care fraud across Minnesota. Before 2019, Minnesota at least had a functioning line of defense. From 2015 to 2018, fraud was being uncovered, and the Department of Human Services (DHS) maintained a dedicated criminal investigations unit to hold bad actors accountable. Then Governor Walz took office. That same year, the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor issued a warning: fraud in Minnesota’s child care system was widespread and serious. That report should have triggered immediate enforcement action. Instead, the Walz administration did the opposite: it dismantled the very unit responsible for criminal investigations and replaced it with weak administrative penalties. Predictably, fraud exploded. Learn more here. Remove criminal consequences, and you remove deterrence. Fraudsters adapted instantly. As testimony in our committee made clear, sanctioned providers simply reopened under new names - often using friends or family members - and continued stealing taxpayer dollars. A DHS whistleblower confirmed this wasn’t rare; it was routine. And the problem didn’t start with Walz. Under Governor Dayton, there were already efforts to downplay and conceal the scale of fraud. A whistleblower reported being instructed not to share findings with the Legislative Auditor, potentially violating state law. Instead, a consulting firm was brought in to massage the data and make the problem appear smaller than it was. This is the pattern: deny the problem, weaken enforcement, and protect the system instead of taxpayers. Child care fraud wasn’t the end—it was the beginning. Once the state signaled there would be no serious consequences, fraud spread into other programs. Billions of dollars were lost, and not one state employee has ever been held accountable. FEDERAL AUTHORITIES STEP IN WHERE THE STATE FAILED While state leadership stalled, federal law enforcement stepped up. This week, the FBI executed 22 court-approved search warrants tied to Medicaid fraud investigations, primarily targeting child care and daycare operations in the Twin Cities. Click here for a story. Let that sink in: it took federal intervention to do the job Minnesota’s own government abandoned. Estimates suggest up to $9 billion has already been lost to fraud in Minnesota. This isn’t a minor issue. It’s not isolated. It’s systemic. Worse, Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison are now trying to take credit for assisting with the federal action. FBI Director Kash Patel quickly shot that claim down. Thankfully, federal authorities are tackling this crisis. The Walz administration spent years deflecting criticism, hiding evidence, and ignoring warnings. He still isn’t giving this crisis the seriousness it deserves, and he has held no one accountable. Ask yourself why. FLY THE DICTATED STATE FLAG – OR LOSE STATE FUNDING? You can’t make it up. The same people who scream at ‘No Kings’ rallies are now upset that cities are refusing to comply with their decree. House Democrats are now authoring legislation forcing cities and counties to fly the new version of the state flag – or else lose up to 10 percent of their state government funding. This despite the fact that current state law allows communities to display the older or the new version. In 2023, when they had complete control of state government, Democrats established a 13-member commission to redesign Minnesota’s state flag and seal. The handpicked commission later introduced new designs for both. However, these designs were never formally approved by voters or the state legislature. Instead, the law that created the commission specified that its final flag selection would automatically take effect as the official state flag. Cities all over the state hate the look and are voting to use the 1983 version of the flag. And Democrats can’t stand that the flag they forced upon the public isn’t being appreciated, so they want to financially punish communities who refuse the decisions made from on high. One Minnesota – Two Flags! Learn more here. ONCE AGAIN, DEMOCRATS PUSH NEW INCOME TAX BRACKET Democrats never tire of finding ways to spend your money. They also never tire of looking for people who can contribute more to the state so they can afford their expensive tastes. This week, they talked about creating a new tax bracket. “Class warfare” they called it. I call it nonsense. Learn more here. LOCAL VISITS It was Disability Day at the Capitol this week. I enjoyed catching up with a few of my friends from Great River Homes.  As well as two students from RCTC who discussed the challenges they experience at school.  Thank you for stopping by! Finally, as we go into the last weeks of session, we have plenty of long days at the State Capitol. That’s why it was nice to be able to get away briefly and attend the inspiring Brandon Lake concert! Nothing like singing and worshipping with 15,000 people to have your spirit filled up!  FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER - YOUTUBE - RUMBLEYou can help Minnesota by TALKING to others and SHARING conservative messages on your social media! Follow me on Twitter, Youtube, and Rumble. PLEASE CONTACT MEIt’s an honor and privilege to work for you at the Capitol. Don’t hesitate to contact my office at any time this session to share your thoughts, concerns or ideas. I am here to serve you! 2591 Centennial Office Building
658 Cedar Street
Saint Paul, MN 55155
651.296.8635 |