Legislative Update from Rep. Kristin Robbins

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May 8, 2026

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

Since my last update, we held our final two House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee hearings. We continue to highlight the malfeasance that has taken place repeatedly in the Walz administration, as well action taken by our federal partners to hold criminals accountable.

We have just 10 days left in session and are working hard to get important bills over the finish line! I will be working all weekend on a Fraud Prevention Committee Majority Report, which will be voted on in a brief committee meeting on Tuesday. 

I hope you all enjoy this lovely weekend! Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing Moms!  You are often unsung heroes in families, communities, schools, and churches and we are so grateful for all the sacrifices you make every day to make life better for your families! I am looking forward to having brunch with my wonderful Mom, whose prayers and support have been so foundational in my life!

Also wishing all the anglers good luck on the Fishing Opener! I look forward to getting out there after session!

Executive Summary

• BIG FRAUD WIN LAST NIGHT!
• WALZ ADMINISTRATION SHUT DOWN CHILD CARE FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS
• WHAT DID CONGRESSWOMAN OMAR KNOW?
• WALZ ADMINISTRATION CONTINUES TO DUCK FRAUD ACCOUNTABILITY BY DEMOTING “NEW” DHS COMMISSIONER
• PHOTOS

BIG FRAUD WIN LAST NIGHT!

We had a long-fought victory last night when the House passed the independent Office of Inspector General (OIG) bill, which will create a politically independent office within the Executive Branch with law enforcement powers to conduct investigations of fraud and misuse in the agencies. At least 15 other states have a similar Executive Branch OIG, and it is necessary because, due to separation of powers, Legislative power over the Executive agencies is limited. We can pass laws to strengthen internal controls, but we cannot fire people who do not do their jobs.

This bill passed the Senate a year ago with a strong bipartisan majority (60-7) and Democrats held it up in the House for months. I am SO THANKFUL this passed the House. It has some slight modifications to the Senate version, so the Senate still has to take it up again. Barring some last-minute shenanigans, it should become law soon!

WALZ ADMINISTRATION SHUT DOWN CHILD CARE FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS

The final two hearings of the Fraud Prevention Committee had astounding revelations from whistleblowers Jay Swanson and Faye Bernstein.

From 2015 to 2018, before Tim Walz became governor, the Department of Human Services had a unit that specialized in child care criminal investigations. They worked with BCA agents embedded in their unit and issued search warrants, conducted surveillance operations and had a forensic lab to conduct analysis of cell phones, computers, and other evidence that was seized in raids.

At the beginning of Walz’s tenure in 2019, the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) issued two reports highlighting the depth of fraud taking place within childcare programs in Minnesota. Instead of taking the report seriously and taking action on behalf of the taxpayers, the Walz administration disbanded the criminal investigation unit in DHS, instead shifting to only looking for “overpayments” and setting up an “Overpayments Committee” to recommend whether any overpayments should be repaid or any administrative, not criminal, sanctions issued.

Once the threat of criminal penalties was removed, the childcare fraud floodgates opened and swindlers took full advantage.

Our witness testified that when a child care agency received an administrative sanction, it would just reopen at the same location under a friend or a relative, so the fraud could continue. A DHS whistleblower explained how this repeatedly happened, which you see by clicking here.

Last year alone, 107 childcare centers received administrative sanctions. Only 3 were referred to law enforcement, and there were zero convictions. Statistics from previous years are shockingly similar. The day of our hearing, the FBI was conducting raids at 22 childcare and autism centers. The fraud hasn’t stopped – state action did. If not for our federal law enforcement partners, we would STILL not be going after these criminals.

But the attempt to suppress the fraud predates the Walz Administration. Prior to the criminal investigative unit being shut down, the whistleblower also noted that the Dayton Administration also tried to keep it under wraps. He was told NOT to give a report to the OLA, which is a violation of state law. Instead, they hired a consulting firm that initially found $105 million in fraud, slightly exceeding the whistleblower’s estimate of $100 million.  After DHS reviewed the consulting firm’s findings, however, they reduced the fraud estimate by $33 million – from 10% to 7% fraud, to make it look like the amount of fraud wasn’t so severe.

The administration actually worked closely with a group, the Minnesota Minority Child Care Association, which was actively trying to stop people from imposing new guardrails on the child care programs. Two of the leaders of the Minnesota Minority Child Care Association have been indicted, charged, and convicted in the Feeding Our Future scandal.

The point to remember here is all of Minnesota’s fraud problems began in childcare programs. Governors Dayton and Walz both downplayed the problems, and when Walz eliminated the DHS criminal investigation unit he basically removed any deterrent. From here, fraud morphed into Feeding Our Future, and that led to other vectors of fraud in autism centers, integrated community supports, and housing stabilization, to name a few.

There are so many interconnected layers and webs of relationships among these criminals, and we must root all of that out. Numerous times, the Walz administration could have stopped the fraud on the front by continuing criminal investigations, requiring prepayment reviews, stopping payments when there were credible allegations of fraud, etc.  But they chose not to use the tools they had. 

Think about how many billions of dollars could have been saved had the Dayton and Walz administrations not chosen to downplay the problems, suppress evidence, remove fraud safeguards, and close an investigative unit that could have stopped fraudsters in their tracks. Nearly 10 years later, not one person in state government has been held accountable for this misconduct.

Although the Fraud Prevention Committee will no longer be holding public hearings, we will continue to investigate whistleblower reports and turn any credible findings over to our federal law enforcement partners, who are doing a terrific job.

To learn more, click here.

WHAT DID CONGRESSWOMAN OMAR KNOW?

For our final fraud hearing of the year, we heard from whistleblowers and members of the public who remain deeply frustrated with the level of fraud in Minnesota and how it seems like we’re struggling to hold people accountable despite overwhelming evidence that fraud is running rampant in this state.

I'm so proud of and thankful for ALL of the whistleblowers who continue to share their stories with us. They are the HEROES of this work.

We also attempted to subpoena the records from the court case where Representative Ilhan Omar's office was in communication with the Feeding Our Future fraudsters.

Previously, we had invited Rep. Omar to attend our committee hearing and explain her role in taking the guardrails off the federal school nutrition program through the Meals Act, which created the conditions for Feeding Our Future. In addition to passing the MEALS Act, she had multiple ties to the convicted fraudsters from Safari Restaurant, including documented communications between convicted fraudsters and her office. We wanted her to explain her involvement and provide copies of the requested documents, which appeared in the trial exhibit list for US v. Bock.

After multiple invitations and a letter requesting the documents by May 5, 2026 received no reply, the last tool available to us was to try to subpoena the documents.

We needed 6 committee votes in order to enact the subpoena. Unfortunately, every Democrat opposed it, and it failed on a 5 to 3 vote.

It's very disappointing that the Democrats on the Committee decided to protect Rep. Omar instead of helping us get the truth. We are not pre-judging what they contain – we simply want to know the facts. Once again, Democrats decided to suppress information rather than vote for transparency. It is incredibly disappointing.

Yesterday I sent letters requesting the help of the U.S. House Oversight Committee and the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee in obtaining the documents. I am hopeful they will continue to help us get the facts, as it is important to understand how we became the epicenter for COVID-related fraud in the country.

Moving forward, we will continue to keep the fraud portal open: MNfraud.com and continue our investigations of whistleblower tips.

I hope Minnesotans continue to demand change in leadership and culture in St. Paul.  Without significant culture change – from turning a blind eye to real accountability – we will not be able to stop the staggering fraud in our state.  

"NEW" DHS COMMISSIONER

In a move that raises fresh questions about transparency and accountability in state government, Governor Walz abruptly pulled his Department of Human Services commissioner nominee this week as she was set to face Senate confirmation scrutiny.

Acting Commissioner Shireen Gandhi had been scheduled to undergo confirmation hearings when, just a day before she was expected to answer questions from lawmakers, the administration withdrew her nomination and replaced her with John Connolly. The decision effectively avoided a public vetting process of DHS leadership at a time when oversight concerns are intensifying.

Instead of being fired, Gandhi was reassigned to a senior deputy commissioner role overseeing Medicaid programs that have already been under fire for waste, fraud, and mismanagement.

Gandhi spent years inside the Department of Human Services, including as Chief Compliance Officer, during a period when major fraud scandals emerged and an estimated $9 billion in taxpayer funds was reported lost to improper payments and fraud. She also served as interim commissioner during a Legislative Auditor review that exposed serious failures within the Behavioral Health Administration, where evidence of falsified and backdated records was uncovered.

Unfortunately for Minnesotans, this is gaslighting of the highest order. Although Ms. Gandhi was “demoted” and a new Commissioner was “named,” the new Commissioner is actually out on sick leave and Ms. Gandhi is effectively still in charge in the crucial final weeks of the session. It is outrageous to claim Governor Walz removed her when she is still running the agency in practice, if not on paper.

PHOTOS

It was such a joy to start the National Day of Prayer at the Maple Grove Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast yesterday! So grateful for everyone who prays for our community, state and nation and for leaders who acknowledge our dependance on God!

Also so grateful for everyone who came to the Capitol yesterday for the National Day of Prayer! It is such an encouragement to pray together for wisdom, humility, protection and guidance for our state as we try to pass laws that will bring blessing to Minnesota in these waning days of the session.

Please Contact Me

Many of you have already been in touch to discuss your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you. Thank you for sharing your ideas! Please continue to contact me to discuss any matters to which I can be of assistance.

The best way to reach me is by email: rep.kristin.robbins@house.mn.gov. For occasional updates, you can follow my Facebook Page at @RepKristinRobbins. You can also leave a voicemail on my office number, 651-296-7806, which is checked every weekday while we are in session.

Of course, if you are coming to the Capitol, I’d love to meet you! Please reach out if you would like to set-up an in-person meeting. 

Have a great weekend!

Kristin

/RepKristinRobbins

239 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.7806