Congress opens ‘industrial-scale fraud’ probe in Minnesota, warns Walz demands are ‘just the beginning’
EXCLUSIVE: Minnesota is going to be the first state that will be in the crosshairs of a groundbreaking and comprehensive congressional investigation into systemic social services fraud, waste and abuse,...
By Fox News · Fox News
EXCLUSIVE : Minnesota is going to be the first state that will be in the crosshairs of a groundbreaking and comprehensive congressional investigation into systemic social services fraud, waste and abuse, House Energy & Commerce Committee chairman Brent Guthrie told Fox News Digital. Guthrie’s panel is demanding audits, provider records, fraud referrals, and internal communications dating back several years, signaling a deep dive into whether state officials ignored warnings or allowed fraud to flourish – while working with a major HHS sub-agency to help look into misuse of taxpayer dollars at a wide scale. "The extensive fraud schemes being perpetrated in Minnesota have wreaked havoc on government-funded health programs," the committee told Fox News Digital via a joint statement from Guthrie and Reps. John Joyce of Pennsylvania and Morgan Griffith of Virginia, both Republicans. GREGG JARRETT: IF WALZ IS CHARGED IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL, HIS BEST DEFENSE IS INCOMPETENCE "We have an obligation to ensure finite taxpayer dollars are being used responsibly, and that the most vulnerable Americans are not being exploited to the benefit of fraudsters and foreign actors," Guthrie, Joyce and Griffith added. "This letter is the next step in the committee’s work to root out fraud and restore program integrity in our federal health programs nationwide." A source familiar with the investigation said Minnesota is likely only the beginning of federal intervention into what the committee dubbed "industrial-scale" fraud within, particularly, state-administered Medicaid programs. MINNESOTA’S WELFARE FRAUD DISASTER EXPOSES A NATIONAL SYSTEM DESIGNED TO FAIL "Minnesota is just the beginning," the source said. Staff on Guthrie’s committee were also party to recent briefings with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Justice Department. In its letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minnesota Human Services Temporary Commissioner Shireen Gandhi, the committee s…