Will Welfare Fraud Scandals Sink Failed VP Nominee Tim Walz?

Following his short-lived campaign as Kamala Harris’s bumbling vice presidential pick last year, most Americans were likely content to forget that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz exists. But staggering welfare fraud recently uncovered in the Land of 10,000 Lakes has thrust Walz’s hapless leadership back into the headlines – and perhaps put his state in play for Republicans in 2026.

Late last month, a bombshell report from City Journal’s Chris Rufofound that Minnesota’s large Somali community has been engaged in egregious abuse of the state’s welfare system. Walz’s administration allegedly ignored credible warnings about the fraud, allowing the scammers to steal billions of dollars from taxpayers. At least some of that money was traced to individuals in Somalia linked to Al-Shabaab, a terrorist organization.

As AMAC Newsline reported in its coverage of the scandal, one scam involved fake autism diagnoses of Somali children so that parents and the providers could collect fraudulent Medicaid payments intended for therapy. As a result of this scheme, Medicaid paid out an astonishing $399 million in autism claims in Minnesota in 2023 – up from just $3 million in 2018.

Another scheme centered on a Minnesota housing program designed to help mentally ill people secure housing. While officials estimated that the annual price tag would be $2.6 million, costs soared above $100 million in just a few years. At least nine individuals – six of whom are of Somali heritage – have now been arrested for fraudulently applying for and receiving funds through the program. The whole story may have been swept under the rug if not for a brave state official who sounded the alarm to the Trump administration.

At least 56 individuals have also pled guilty in the Feeding our Futures fraud scheme. As Rufo reports, Feeding our Futures was a small nonprofit which ostensibly provided nutrition assistance to families. During COVID-19, the group applied for and received more than $250 million. But instead of using that money to feed hungry children, the recipients – mostly of Somali heritage – used it “to fund lavish lifestyles, purchase luxury vehicles, and buy real estate in the United States, Turkey, and Kenya.”

Described as the “largest pandemic fraud in the United States,” the criminal case involves 75 defendants who are accused of submitting fake invoices for reimbursement from state and federal officials.

Although the theft from taxpayers is bad enough, questions are now being raised about why Walz allowed it to continue unabated for years. At least 28 fraud scandals have now been exposed during Walz’s tenure – yet he is still seeking a third term from voters in 2026.

While Republicans won’t officially select a nominee until next August, Walz is already under fire. Rufo reports that officials “raised concerns” about the rapid expansion of Feeding our Futures in 2020, but the Walz administration failed to do anything about it after the group sued for racial discrimination.

A group of Minnesota Department of Human Services workers has also said that they have been trying to tell Walz for months that this fraud was occurring. Walz, they claim, not only ignored the warnings, but retaliated against whistleblowers.

“We let Tim Walz know of fraud early on, hoping for a partnership in stopping fraud but no, we got the opposite response,” the group wrote on X. Instead, the governor “systematically retaliated against whistleblowers using monitoring, threats, repression, and did his best to discredit fraud reports.”

“Fraud has already become a central issue in a competitive governor’s race,” the New York Times reported on November 29. The newspaper notes that current Republican Speaker of the House Lisa DeMuth has made the scandal a central theme of her campaign for governor against Walz.

Minnesota Public Radio News has similarly suggested that Walz has “got his work cut out for him, with a big field of Republicans sensing opportunity and the fraud issue dogging him at every turn.” While the news outlet generally tried to frame President Donald Trump as the bad guy for launching various investigations into the state, it nonetheless conceded that the increased national spotlight could help Minnesota Republicans.

“Republicans have cheered on the Trump administration actions to diminish Walz,” MPR reported. “They hope he’ll stir up his base for them next year and perhaps bring a campaign donation windfall to the state as well.”

In addition to executive branch investigations, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has announced that it is probing the “widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs under Governor Tim Walz’s watch, the state’s efforts to cover it up, and retaliation against whistleblowers who sought to protect taxpayer dollars.”

As much as the governor will try to sweep it under the rug, it will be difficult for the media to ignore hearings, document leaks, and whistleblower testimony.

Minnesota Democrats (officially the Democrat-Farmer-Labor Party) will be counting on their historic strength to get them through this mess. The state has not voted for a Republican presidential nominee since Richard Nixon in 1972 and has not elected a Republican governor since 2006.

However, there are signs things could be changing. Trump lost the state by only 40,000 votes in 2016. While 2020 saw a swing back toward the DFL, 2024 reversed that trend, with Trump losing 50.9 percent to 46.7 percent – nearly two points better than his 44.9 percent performance in 2016.

Minnesota’s neighbors in Michigan and Wisconsin – the other two of the Democrat “blue wall” in the Upper Midwest – have now gone for Trump two out of three times. It seems only natural that Minnesota could be the next state to trend red.

That process may now be expedited by a governor who is actively trying to cover up the fact that he covered up for thieves robbing taxpayers. Even in a reliably blue state, voters may decide that enough is enough.

Matt Lamb is an associate editor for The College Fix. He previously worked for Students for Life of America, Students for Life Action, and Turning Point USA. He previously interned for Open the Books. His writing has also appeared in the Washington Examiner, The Federalist, LifeSiteNews, Human Life Review, Headline USA, and other outlets. The opinions expressed are his own. Follow him @mattlamb22 on X.