Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz hits back as Trump administration freezes state's child care funds amid fraud claims

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Independent

Tuesday 30 December 2025 21:06 EST


Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has sharply criticized the Trump administration Tuesday over its decision to pause federal child care funds to the state after an influencer’s video went viral alleging widespread fraud there in government programs.

“This is Trump’s long game,” Walz, who was on the Democratic ticket against Trump in 2024, wrote on X. “We’ve spent years cracking down on fraudsters. It’s a serious issue - but this has been his plan all along. He’s politicizing the issue to defund programs that help Minnesotans.”

The comments came as the Department of Health and Human Services announced that it was freezing child care payments to the state.

In a post on X, HHS credited the stop to allegations from a video by right-wing content creator Nick Shirley, which claimed daycare centers run by people of Somali descent in Minnesota are responsible for “potentially the largest fraud scandal in U.S. history.”

Read more: https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/tim-walz-trump-fraud-somali-b2892474.html

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REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143590210

[Lovie777]

1. GQP's goal is to defund blue states....................

although they pay federal taxes. It's cruel, but that's the point.

[OldBaldy1701E]

7. Then, we need to stop paying them.

Until he does things as they are supposed to be done.

But we won't.

[Vinca]

2. This is a Trump wet dream - a blue state with a governor he hates and a group of people he's always hated involved.

If there's fraud, of course it should be addressed, but it doesn't make sense to deprive every kid in the state from a service they may need. The thought that a 34 time over felon convicted of fraud is supposedly rooting out fraud is another matter.

[hueymahl]

3. Looks like there is a lot of fraud

But this is throwing the baby out with the bathwater

[marshall]

13. Attitudes toward what we call fraud is culturally driven

I’m not familiar with Africa, but I hav spent significant time in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. I be am aware of many business and governmental practices that were allowed or not prosecuted because it was considered the norm. The US government was always pushing back and trying to get them to adopt our standards.

[OC375]

4. Godfather 2 Homage?

Criminal who wants something shaking down a politician with big problem to get it. Wonder what he’s after here to call it a win? Maybe the hunt itself is the win?

[OC375]

8. No

I was saying Trump wants something and is trying to leverage the situation to get it, he's not trying fix the situation, let alone fix it because he cares about addressing fraud.

[OC375]

10. 10-4

[Eugene]

11. Trump administration reportedly freezes all childcare payments to all states

Trump administration reportedly freezes all childcare payments to all states (The Guardian)

Trump official says funds will be released ‘only when states prove they are being spent legitimately’

The Department of Health and Human Services is freezing all childcare payments to all states, an official for Donald Trump’s administration told ABC News in a report published Wednesday, just hours after department officials announced that they had frozen childcare funding to Minnesota.

States’ funds, the unnamed official said, will be released “only when states prove they are being spent legitimately”.

The department did not immediately reply to a Guardian request for comment on the report, but HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon told ABC News that “it’s the onus of the state to make sure that these funds, these federal dollars, taxpayer dollars, are being used for legitimate purposes”.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/dec/31/trump-administration-childcare-funding-freeze

[electric_blue68]

12. WTF?!!

[RussBLib]

14. based on one video by a right-wing "influencer?"

...rather jumping to conclusions, I'd say. How about some real evidence?

And Walz put it correctly. They have been going after fraud and fraudsters for a long time. That's what responsible states do. They don't put a fraudster like Trump in charge of the government.