WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) led Minnesota Congressional Republicans in sending a letter to Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison urging them to resign following the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s recent report on the committee’s investigation into Minnesota’s fraud scandals. The report, “The Cost of Doing Nothing: How Tim Walz and Keith Ellison Fueled Minnesota’s Fraud Explosion,” exposed how Governor Walz, Attorney General Ellison, and other senior Minnesota state officials had been aware of the widespread fraud in federally funded social programs for years, and failed to address it.
“The leaders and officials who are responsible for safeguarding taxpayer dollars have allowed fraud to plague our federally funded assistance programs and must be held accountable,” said Rep. Finstad. “It is absolutely unacceptable that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison were not only aware of the fraud running rampant throughout our state but also possessed the legal and procedural authority to prevent it, ignored and dismissed warnings from employees and whistleblowers, and still repeatedly failed to act.”
Finstad continued, “As a result of the inaction of our state’s so-called leaders, billions of hard-earned taxpayer dollars were diverted to bad actors instead of helping Minnesotans in need. My fellow Minnesota Congressional Republicans and I are calling on Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison to resign and will work to restore confidence and public trust in our federally funded assistance programs.”
“If these allegations are true, Tim Walz and Keith Ellison should leave office in handcuffs. At the very least, they should resign from office in disgrace. Public officials need to be held accountable for allowing billions of taxpayer dollars to be stolen from Minnesotan and American taxpayers. We’ve had enough,” said Rep. Tom Emmer.
“The House Oversight Committee’s report strips away any doubt that Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison not only turned a blind eye to the fraud, they actively protected it. Since 2019, they have silenced and intimidated whistleblowers who tried to sound alarms. Their negligence has turned Minnesota into a playground for criminals. If Walz & Ellison have any respect left for the Minnesotans they betrayed, they will resign immediately,” said Rep. Michelle Fischbach.
“The House Oversight Committee’s bombshell report concludes that Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison knew about the rampant fraud in Minnesota since 2019 and failed to act, allowing billions in taxpayer dollars to be stolen. Their inaction seriously betrayed the trust of Minnesota’s taxpayers. I commend Vice President Vance for referring both Walz and Ellison to the Department of Justice for criminal investigation. As the DOJ reviews the evidence, they must resign from office immediately,” said Rep. Pete Stauber.
Background:
- In December 2025, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform launched an investigation into fraud plaguing Minnesota’s social services programs that Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison failed to halt despite repeated warnings.
- The Committee’s investigation found that senior officials in Minnesota state government, including Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison, were aware of widespread fraud in federally funded social services programs for years, possessed the legal and procedural authority to stop payments and ban fraudulent providers from participating in these programs, but repeatedly failed to act.
- As a result, billions of American taxpayer dollars were potentially paid to fraudulent actors. These fraudulently obtained funds likely funded international terrorist networks among other bad actors, while vulnerable populations were harmed and whistleblowers were ignored, sidelined, and retaliated against.
- Governor Walz failed to protect taxpayer-funded programs, allowing fraudsters to steal an estimated $9 billion in public funds—an amount that may ultimately prove even higher.
- These funds were intended to feed children, support autistic individuals, provide housing for low-income and disabled Americans, and deliver health care to vulnerable Medicaid recipients.
- To date, federal prosecutors have charged nearly 100 individuals – 85 of whom are of Somali descent – in connection with these schemes, and dozens have already been convicted.
- Many of these individuals never should have been here in the first place, abusing our immigration system with the sole purpose of harming and deceiving American citizens.
- On February 25th, CMS announced they were halting $259 million in Medicaid dollars to the state.
- An audit was conducted during the fourth quarter of the federal fiscal year which ended in September. The audit found $234.8 million in unsupported or possibly fraudulent Medicaid claims and $15.4 million in claims involving individuals lacking a satisfactory immigration status.
