Democratic Gov. Walz’s Administration Missed $250 Million Fraud, Minnesota Audit Reveals

Clear Facts

• An audit by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) in Minnesota found that the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz overlooked a $250 million fraud in a federal food aid program.
• The fraudulent scheme involved faked invoices for children’s meals, leading to over a quarter of a billion dollars of federal funds being stolen. Despite claiming a court order prevented him from interfering, this claim has been disputed.
• The Minnesota Department of Education, under Walz’s administration, failed to act on known warning signs and was ill-prepared to respond to the fraudulent activity, according to the OLA audit.

A recent audit conducted by Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) has raised some serious concerns. The audit reveals that the administration of Democratic Gov. Tim Walz failed to prevent a massive fraud scheme amounting to $250 million, siphoned off a federal food aid program.

This complex scheme involved the falsification of millions of invoices meant for children’s meals, leading to the theft of federal funds. Walz, who was recently chosen by Vice President Kamala Harris as her running mate for the upcoming presidential election, made a claim that a 2021 court order tied his hands from intervening in the fraud. However, this assertion has been disputed.

“The Minnesota Department of Education, which fell under Walz’s purview as governor, “failed to act on warning signs known to the department prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and prior to the start of the alleged fraud, did not effectively exercise its authority to hold Feeding Our Future accountable to program requirements, and was ill-prepared to respond to the issues it encountered with Feeding Our Future,” the OLA audit stated.

Walz’s choice as Commissioner of Education, Heather Mueller, was in the position during the time of the fraud. Mueller was appointed by Walz in March 2021.

GOP Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson expressed his shock at the revelations. “This is stunning,” Johnson said in a June press conference. “The Department of Education and Gov. Walz have repeatedly tried to tell the public that they did all they could… but this report clearly demonstrates that was a false narrative,” Johnson said.

The Department of Education’s failure has had real-life consequences as 70 individuals have been indicted in the case, with five convicted and two acquitted so far.

Requests for comments from Walz’s office did not receive an immediate response. It remains to be seen how these revelations may impact Walz’s political future and potential role as Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate. This saga serves as a reminder that leaders must be held accountable for their administration’s actions, especially when taxpayer dollars are at stake.

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