Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., the chair of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, announced Wednesday that the body will hold hearings on fraud concerns within Minnesota’s social services programs in the new year.
The first hearing is set for Jan. 7, with state Reps. Kristin Robbins (R), Walter Hudson (R) and Marion Rarick (R) scheduled to testify. Comer has also invited Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) to testify to the committee on Feb. 10.
In a statement, the Kentucky Republican said that Walz and Ellison “have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in a massive fraud involving taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs.”
“American taxpayers demand and deserve accountability for the theft of their hard-earned money,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to the offices of Walz and Ellison for comment.
The Trump administration has ramped up its scrutiny of fraud within programs under the Minnesota Department of Human Services (MDHS) since conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley released a video detailing his visits to child care facilities in Minneapolis.
The Department of Homeland Security dispatched agents from its investigations unit to the city on Monday, while the Small Business Administration and Department of Health and Human Services paused payments to Minnesota.
Dating back to 2022, over 98 individuals have been charged in the Department of Justice’s sweeping probe into fraud in the North Star State. Joseph Thompson, the assistant U.S. attorney for Minnesota, told reporters earlier this month that it is possible that “half or more” of the $18 billion billed to 14 MDHS programs, which received Medicaid funding, since 2018 is fraudulent.
Walz has disputed that amount, while court records reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, which has reported on the issue for more over a decade, found the fraud to be closer to $218 million.
In October, Walz ordered a third-party audit of the 14 aforementioned MDHS programs, including the shuttered House Stabilization Services program. He also appointed Tim O’Malley to serve as director of program integrity to root out fraud in Minnesota earlier this month.
The Minnesota governor in recent days has slammed the Trump administration for “politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”