Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz’s administration has been officially subpoenaed by a committee of the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to a press release from the Committee on Education and the Workforce, federal lawmakers are seeking documents connected to the Walz administration’s handling of the Feeding Our Future fraud. The chair of the committee, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., issued subpoenas to Walz, Commissioner Willie Jett of the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
In September of 2022, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota indicted dozens of individuals after two federal child nutrition programs, which were administered by MDE, were reportedly defrauded of roughly $250 million in total. A nonprofit called Feeding Our Future was allegedly at the center of the fraud. The scandal, which occurred during Walz’s tenure as governor, has received significant news coverage in Minnesota.
Earlier this year, a report from Minnesota’s Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) found that MDE’s “inadequate oversight of Feeding Our Future created opportunities for fraud.” The report also made a series of recommendations to help MDE prevent future fraud. According to Axios, a Walz spokesperson said many of these recommendations have been implemented.
In a message to Gov. Walz, Rep. Foxx said two letters were submitted to MDE in the last year which sought to obtain information about how the fraud was handled. Foxx told Walz that “the documents we have received to date indicate the actions taken by you and other executive officers were insufficient to address the massive fraud.”
However, the committee’s press release notes that MDE “failed to respond to previous attempts by the Committee to garner information necessary to uncover how the Governor and the USDA allowed such fraud to occur, [so] the Committee today is proceeding with a subpoena to compel responses.”
In turn, the congresswoman told Walz that “the Committee must now compel the production of responsive documents that will show the extent of the actions taken by you and your administration relating to MDE’s administration of the [federal child nutrition programs] and the extent of your responsibilities and actions addressing the massive fraud that resulted in the abuse of taxpayer dollars intended for hungry children.”
Among other things, the subpoenas of the Walz administration request all documents and communications that involve state agencies referring to Feeding Our Future.
“The Biden-Harris Administration and the Walz Administration oversaw the exploitation of $250 million in child nutrition program funds, resulting in the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation,” Rep. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., said in a statement. “This egregious mismanagement of funds meant to feed hungry children should have never happened, and we must ensure that it never happens again. I commend Chairwoman Foxx for issuing these subpoenas and providing the American people the transparency they deserve.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
