Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Under Fire for Years of “Rampant Fraud” Despite Massive Losses

Minnesota Republican state representative Kristin Robbins stated Tuesday that Governor Tim Walz must have been aware of extensive federal fraud occurring under his administration, citing billions in financial losses.

Robbins, chair of the Fraud Prevention & State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, noted that while federal prosecutors have secured 61 convictions and 87 indictments through the U.S. Attorney’s Office, no criminal referrals or indictments have been filed against officials within Walz’s administration. She highlighted that over half of approximately $18 billion in federal funds allocated to 14 Minnesota-run programs since 2018 have reportedly been stolen, describing the fraud as “staggering and deeply layered.”

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) previously signaled expectations for multiple criminal referrals tied to misconduct within Minnesota state government. Robbins emphasized that Walz’s response—initiating audits and pausing payments only after sustained pressure—represents a failure of leadership. She stated, “Tim Walz has been overseeing this rampant fraud for seven years,” adding that he “has done nothing to stop it proactively.”

Robbins noted her oversight authority remains limited as she lacks access to critical state records such as bank and health data. Yet she argued the scale and duration of the fraud make it impossible to believe top officials were unaware: “For this to happen this long—$9 billion in fraud since Gov. Walz took office—I don’t know how they couldn’t have known about it.”

She described that pressure from her committee, investigative journalists, and federal partners finally prompted Walz to take action but stressed he has refused to hold anyone in his administration accountable. Robbins condemned the governor’s “derelict” leadership and repeated accusations of years-long inaction on a crisis affecting state finances.