House Republicans call Minnesota fraud probe 'tip of the iceberg' as more blue states face scrutiny

By Fox News · Fox News

The ongoing investigations into whether widespread fraud has roiled Minnesota's social welfare programs could soon spread to other blue states, if House Republicans get their way. Several GOP lawmakers told Fox News Digital they wanted to see probes expanded into New York, California, Illinois, and Wisconsin, among other areas, as both Congress and the federal government bear down on Gov. Tim Walz's administration. "Many in California and representatives from New York are telling us that what is happening in Minnesota — the fraud, the daycares, the fake use of daycares and the embezzlement of American taxpayer money, billions of dollars — is just the tip of the iceberg," Republican Study Committee Chairman August Pfluger, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., said all states should be investigated, particularly for potential COVID-19 pandemic-era fraud within the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). MINNESOTA AG BLASTS HOUSE HEARING ON FRAUD SCANDAL IN HIS STATE : 'A LOT OF BULLS--- FROM REPUBLICANS' "The bottom line is we obviously have made it very, very easy to defraud the federal government. We know that that went on during COVID with the PPP dollars, with a lot of the money that was flowing out. You know, shame on us for not policing that," Harris said. "Honestly, we should look at all states." Federal attorneys have accused the state of Minnesota of losing potentially billions of dollars to fraud across multiple programs including childcare, food aid, and autism assistance. State officials like Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison have accused Republicans in the federal government of inflating that number for political purposes but have conceded that they are working within Minnesota to root out how and why some money did go to fraudulent means. 'TIP OF THE ICEBERG': SENATE REPUBLICANS PRESS GOV WALZ OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL The political pressure from the scandal forced Walz to drop his bid for a thir…