Tim Walz becomes GOP punchline in sweeping new war on welfare fraud

By Fox News · Fox News

EXCLUSIVE : Senate Republicans are naming the centerpiece of a 12-figure anti-fraud package after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz , arguing his administration's handling of massive welfare fraud schemes made him the symbol of government waste they hope to eliminate. Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa., is dropping the legislation just as fraud-exposing journalists, such as Nick Shirley, testify to the Homeland Security Committee about videotaped discoveries in the "Feeding Our Futures" scandal in Minnesota and other similar alleged rackets elsewhere on Wednesday. The "Welfare Abuse and Laundering Zillions (WALZ) Act" from Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., is at the core of the broader anti-fraud package targeting Minnesota-style violations, COVID fraud, foreign remittance abuse and repeat offenders, and is projected to save taxpayers roughly $240 billion, Fox News Digital learned. WALZ A NO-SHOW AT KEY FRAUD HEARING DESPITE BEING IN THE BUILDING ON OTHER BUSINESS: GOP LEADER The WALZ Act requires federal payments be made as reimbursements to states only after a service is proven to have been provided – a process critics say Minnesota failed to police adequately. It also requires that if a state program receiving federal funding sees a six-month increase in disbursements of more than 10%, the HHS inspector general must investigate that program. FTC CHIEF ACCUSES DEMOCRATS OF 'TRYING TO PROTECT THE FRAUDSTERS' BY WITHHOLDING DATA FROM TRUMP ADMIN One of Ernst’s pieces of the package, the Returning Unspent COVID Funds Act , would claw back more than $65 billion in federally-disbursed COVID funds – now six years after the height of the pandemic – to avoid future abuse of those funds. "While hardworking Americans are struggling to make ends meet, fraudsters are getting away with ripping off $1.4 billion of taxpayer money every single day," Ernst told Fox News Digital on Wednesday. "Government grift and graft is endless, but the public’s patience isn’t and neither is mine. The Senate will have…