Minnesota’s governor and attorney general on Wednesday defended their efforts to combat fraud and told a U.S. House committee that their efforts have been hampered by President Donald Trump’s in the state.
Republicans on the House Oversight Committee accused and of stalling to fight fraud in government programs, saying they put politics ahead of rooting out abuse instead of pausing payments.
鈥淵ou have not been good stewards of the taxpayer dollars,鈥� said Republican Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, chair of the committee. 鈥淎nd the Democratic position is keep the money flowing. The American taxpayers have had enough.鈥�
Walz said he wanted to work with the federal government to help with fraud investigations, but the was making that more difficult.
鈥淭he people of Minnesota have been singled out and targeted for political retribution at an unparalleled scale,鈥� Walz said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to prosecute, as we have, every single person that鈥檚 involved in fraud, but we can鈥檛 do it alone.”
Walz and Ellison defended their efforts on fraud, while also trying to turn the focus of the hearing to the in Minnesota that began in December. The Trump administration cited fraud as one justification for its enforcement action. Homeland Security Secretary testified Tuesday that in Minnesota as part of a broader fraud probe.
鈥淥peration Metro Surge did nothing to address fraud in our state,” Ellison said. “It harmed our economy and it scarred our people and it dealt a devastating blow to fraud enforcement in Minnesota.鈥�
Ellison noted the in the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office in Minnesota, leaving those who remain 鈥渄rowning in immigration-related petitions鈥� instead of prosecuting fraud. On Tuesday, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota appeared for a contempt hearing related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement not returning personal property of detainees.
Ellison said his office has 鈥減unched above our weight鈥� in winning 300 Medicaid fraud convictions and recovering more than $80 million for taxpayers.
Republican Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana called on Ellison to resign, accusing him of not leading investigations into criminal fraud activity.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance said the Trump $243 million in Medicaid funding to Minnesota , as part of what he described as an aggressive . Minnesota to stop the money from being withheld, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the money is held back.
Comer on Wednesday accused Walz of not stopping Medicaid payments despite knowledge of fraud because he 鈥渄idn鈥檛 want to rock the boat.鈥�
Comer and other Republicans accused Walz of lying about when he first found out about fraud in a and stalling to act in order to protect the Somali American community. Republican Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio asked Walz if he know how many of those who had been indicted were .
鈥淭heir ethnicity is not my concern,鈥� Walz said.
Somali Americans make up 82 of the 92 defendants charged so far in the Feeding our Future case, according to the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office for Minnesota.
Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia of California, as part of the effort to focus the hearing on the immigration crackdown, held up images of children detained by federal officers and a picture of the blood-stained car seat of who was killed by an officer. Federal officers also killed another Minnesota resident, , who had been filming enforcement operations.
鈥淭his violence does not make us safer,鈥� Garcia said. 鈥淚t does not address fraud, waste and abuse.鈥�
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