Comer Blasts Minnesota Leaders Over Massive Welfare Fraud Scandal

At a bombshell House Oversight hearing this week, Chairman James Comer didn’t mince words. The Kentucky Republican launched a searing attack on Minnesota’s Democrat-led government, accusing them of being “asleep at the wheel” as hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars were looted from critical welfare programs.

His opening remarks, obtained ahead of time, pulled no punches “Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota’s Democratic leadership either failed in their duty or were complicit in one of the largest fraud schemes we’ve seen,” Comer is expected to declare.

And the numbers are staggering.

• Over $240 million was allegedly stolen from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through a nonprofit called Feeding Our Future.

• The fraud reportedly centered around members of Minnesota’s Somali community, who are accused of submitting fake meal invoices and siphoning funds meant for needy children.

• The DOJ has now expanded the probe to include state-run programs, with early estimates suggesting billions more dollars may have been lost to fraudulent actors.

The ramifications are more than just financial. Comer laid out the human cost of the Democrats’ failure:

• Vulnerable children left hungry while fake programs reported feeding them.

• Autistic children denied care as state funds were funneled overseas.

• Disabled and low-income Americans pushed to the side as money meant for housing was pocketed by fraudsters.

“How many children have gone hungry because fraudsters stole money that was intended to provide them with food?” Comer asked in his blistering testimony. “How many autistic children were denied services because fraudsters instead sent this money overseas?”

Yet, rather than take accountability, Governor Walz has accused Republicans of “politicizing” the issue an astonishing deflection, considering the scale and depth of the fraud happening under his watch.

This week’s hearing includes testimony from three Republican Minnesota legislators, and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer a staunch critic of Walz’s administration is also participating. Comer has called for both Walz and Ellison to testify in a follow-up hearing scheduled for February 10. Whether they will actually show remains to be seen.

This scandal didn’t just happen in the shadows. It happened while Minnesota’s top Democrats were busy pushing progressive pet projects and ignoring the basics: safeguarding taxpayer money and protecting the most vulnerable.

The people of Minnesota and the American taxpayers who helped fund these programs deserve answers, not excuses. If this is just the “tip of the iceberg,” as Comer warned, it’s time for a full reckoning.

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