House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., announced Wednesday that Congress will hold hearings early next year to examine growing concerns over fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs, signaling a tougher push for accountability as allegations of massive taxpayer abuse continue to mount.
The first hearing is scheduled for Jan. 7, when Minnesota state Reps. Kristin Robbins, Walter Hudson, and Marion Rarick — all Republicans — are expected to testify before the committee. Comer has also formally invited Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both Democrats, to appear on Feb. 10 to answer questions about their oversight of the state’s programs.
In a statement announcing the hearings, Comer accused Minnesota’s top officials of either failing to act or being complicit as fraud allegedly spread across taxpayer-funded programs. He said Walz and Ellison “have either been asleep at the wheel or complicit in a massive fraud involving taxpayer dollars in Minnesota’s social services programs.”
“American taxpayers demand and deserve accountability for the theft of their hard-earned money,” Comer added, framing the hearings as a necessary step to protect public funds.
Walz’s office pushed back on the announcement. In a statement to The Hill, the governor’s office said Walz is “happy to work with Congress,” but claimed the Oversight Committee has a history of what it called “circus hearings” that stray from the facts. Ellison’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The hearings come as the Trump administration has sharply escalated its scrutiny of Minnesota programs overseen by the Minnesota Department of Human Services. That scrutiny intensified after conservative YouTuber Nick Shirley released a widely viewed video documenting his visits to child care facilities in Minneapolis, raising questions about whether centers receiving public funds were actually operating as claimed.
Following the video’s release, federal agencies moved quickly. The Department of Homeland Security sent investigators to Minneapolis earlier this week, while the Small Business Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services paused payments to Minnesota as reviews continue.
The Department of Justice has already charged more than 98 people in a sweeping fraud probe dating back to 2022. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson told reporters earlier this month that it is possible “half or more” of the $18 billion billed to 14 Minnesota Department of Human Services programs that received Medicaid funding since 2018 could be fraudulent.
Walz has disputed that estimate. Court records reviewed by the Minnesota Star Tribune, which has been reporting on the issue for more than a decade, put the confirmed fraud closer to $218 million — roughly 1 percent of the $18 billion total. Even that figure, critics note, represents a staggering loss for taxpayers.
In response to the growing controversy, Walz ordered a third-party audit in October of the 14 programs cited by federal prosecutors, including the now-shuttered Housing Stabilization Services program. Earlier this month, he also appointed Tim O’Malley as director of program integrity, tasking him with rooting out fraud statewide.
Despite those steps, Walz has accused the Trump administration of “politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans,” a claim Republicans reject. Comer and other GOP lawmakers argue the real politicization comes from years of inaction and resistance to oversight.
With federal investigators on the ground, payments frozen, and Congress preparing to haul in witnesses, Minnesota’s social services system is now under one of the most intense spotlights it has ever faced. The upcoming hearings are expected to test whether state leaders can explain how alleged fraud reached such levels — and what they did, or failed to do, to stop it.
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