Authored by Janice Hisle via The Epoch Times (emphasis ours),
Two of Minnesota’s top officials, Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, testified before Congress for more than four hours on March 4 about their state’s multibillion-dollar fraud controversies.
During the latest hearing on Capitol Hill, Republicans tried to pin down when the two Democratic leaders were alerted to the fraud, why payments continued afterward, and what role politics may have played.
Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) summed up the scandal this way: “While whistleblowers were silenced, fraudsters got rich.” Comer chairs the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which has now held two hearings on Minnesota fraud cases this year.
🚨 JUST IN: House Oversight Chair James Comer affirms whistleblowers testified UNDER OATH that they spent YEARS warning Tim Walz and Keith Ellison about rampant fraud
IT’S TIME FOR WALZ AND ELLISON TO BE JAILED.
US taxpayers are SICK AND TIRED of politicians stealing from them pic.twitter.com/n6K2lwalBi
— Javier Salazar (@ded_fx) March 5, 2026
Although Democrat members of the committee agreed with Republicans’ demand to hold fraudsters accountable, some Democrats pivoted away from the issue of fraud. They said the committee ought to instead focus on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in Minnesota, where confrontations twice turned deadly in January.
Here are four takeaways.
Payments ‘Kept Flowing’ After Fraud Alarms
Walz has said that his administration acted quickly, but Comer said that claim “does not hold up to the facts.”
Even after fraud was “known, documented, and repeatedly brought to the attention of state leadership,” state employees “kept payments flowing,” Comer said.
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) said the committee’s investigation found that state agency leaders directly notified Walz’s chief of staff by May 2020 about concerns regarding Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit organization that was paid to provide meals to children.
Its payments skyrocketed from $307,000 in 2018, a year before Walz took office, to nearly $200 million by 2021, Donalds said—despite the fraud alarms.
Authorities say the organization stole nearly $300 million; dozens of people, mostly Somalis, have faced related federal charges since 2022.
Several Republicans noted that Somalis overwhelmingly vote for Democrats and accused Democrats in Minnesota of turning a blind eye to retain that political support. Walz denied that accusation.300
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) confronted Walz for publicly stating that payments to Feeding Our Future restarted under a court order.
Ramsey County District Court Judge John H. Guthmann said he never issued any such order, according to a 2022 statement from the judge.
Jordan asked Walz, “Why didn’t you tell the truth?”
The governor responded, “The agency believed that the court had required them to make those payments.”
Tim Walz was exposed for resuming taxpayer payments to Somali fraudsters at Feeding Our Future and lying about it. During questioning, Rep. Jim Jordan challenged Walz on why he restarted the payments despite the court never ordering it, forcing Walz to deflect and claim he was… pic.twitter.com/KsOUv5tycc
— Americaforever (@onetexgal9) March 5, 2026
Republicans also cited significant Walz-era increases in funding for other programs in which fraud was uncovered, related to autism therapy, child care, and a housing-affordability program.
Walz said he was aware of systemic fraud allegations before he took office and that he took steps to address them.
However, he said that Minnesota is “not going to shut down programs” that are otherwise worth it.
Repeatedly, the governor denounced fraud, saying, “One dollar is too much.”
Whistleblower Retaliation Alleged and Denied
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) told Walz, “Almost 30 whistleblowers accused you and your administration of retaliation.”
Walz responded: “I can tell you it didn’t happen. … There’s a zero tolerance for whistleblower retaliation in Minnesota.”
Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) pointed to the case of a state employee—a lifelong Democrat—who “was called ‘racist’ and her work responsibilities were diminished” after she blew the whistle on fraud. Many whistleblowers have reported being called “racist” or “Islamophobic” for pointing out fraud allegations against Somalis, who are predominantly black Muslims.
In response, Walz said that Minnesota offers “very strong whistleblower protections.” He also said it is illegal to retaliate against whistleblowers or intimidate them.
Gill replied, “Your administration has treated whistleblowers like absolute dirt, and that’s a big reason why we’ve seen so much of our hard-earned tax dollars defrauded.”
Burchett also named some specific organizations that were never prosecuted.
“Every dad-gum one of you all ought to step down,” Burchett said.
Other Republicans also called for resignations from Walz and Ellison.
‘Compassion Over Compliance’
Rep. William Timmons (R-S.C.) raised concerns about former and current Minnesota welfare agency employees’ statements that they were told to emphasize “compassion over compliance” when dealing with recipients of government aid.
Documents back up statements showing that employees were told that they should behave based on a “mindset” of 70 percent compassion, 30 percent compliance, Timmons said.
“After acknowledging how widespread and pervasive fraud is in Minnesota, how should your state employees prioritize program compliance? What is your message to people now relative to this compassion–compliance ratio?” Timmons asked.
Walz said he agreed with Timmons.
“It’s not an either-or, and it’s not a percentage,” the governor said.
“We’re not going to stop these programs … [but] we need to have fraud prevention and program integrity.”
Walz, Ellison Defend Record
Walz, in a written statement, said, “In Minnesota, if you defraud public programs, if you steal taxpayer money, we will find you, we will prosecute you, we will convict you, and we will throw you in jail.”
He acknowledged that the governor has an important role in fighting fraud and that “the buck ultimately stops” with him.
“I do not shy away from that responsibility, and I am prepared—as I have always been—to have a serious conversation with our federal partners about how to ensure fraudsters cannot take advantage of Minnesota taxpayers,” Walz wrote.
Tim Walz is getting FLUSTERED, PANICKING after he was exposed lying about covering up for Somali fraud
WALZ: “Our Medicare error late is lower than your rate!!”
JAMES COMER: “You have been defrauded! You have not been good stewards of the taxpayer dollars. And the Democrat… pic.twitter.com/NkzpqRbYPz
— Roy Rogue (@rogue185263) March 5, 2026
Walz also told Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) that he would like to hear specifics on how Wisconsin tackled its “improper payments” problem under former Gov. Scott Walker, also a Republican.
During the hearing, Walz and other Democrats alleged that President Donald Trump and his Republican administration have targeted Minnesota fraud and immigration enforcement for political reasons.
Republicans said immigration is intertwined with many other problems, including election fraud and welfare-program fraud.
Ellison testified that his office can prosecute only Medicaid fraud on its own; federal prosecutors are responsible for other types of fraud cases.
In his written statement, he said his office has “worked tirelessly to hold fraudsters accountable.”
He touted winning 300 Medicaid-fraud convictions and recovering $80 million in judgments and restitution. His office also has “dissolved 17 sham non-profits involved in federal child nutrition fraud” since 2019, Ellison wrote.
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