Greetings House District 19B citizens,
We all just wrapped up an absolutely outstanding Steele County Free Fair! Thank you, organizers and volunteers! In addition, our weather supported nearly every event and I had the great opportunity to talk to so many of you again. Everyone had so many positive comments! The price of gasoline is the lowest we have seen in a very long time. Our families can afford to come to the fair. They can afford to take a family vacation. In the Legislature, we were all able to hold our Minnesota State income taxes steady while reducing the future budgets by $6,000,000,000.
What concerns us? What’s not to like? Fraud!
People are tired of reading headlines about wasted taxpayer dollars while families are struggling to make ends meet in other ways. Minnesotans expect their tax dollars to be used wisely and honestly, not siphoned away through abuse and corruption.
The scale of fraud in our state is staggering. The Housing Stabilization Services program was designed to help seniors and people with disabilities stay in safe housing. Instead, it quickly became a massive target for abuse. What started as a $2.6 million annual program ballooned to over $107 million in payouts in 2024 alone, with hundreds of new providers popping up almost overnight. Federal agents called it a “massive scheme,” and raids earlier this year exposed how badly broken the oversight system had become. By the way, have you read about anyone losing their position in state government for allowing this abuse to exist? I have not.
And of course, Minnesotans are still reeling from the Feeding Our Future scandal, where over $300 million in federal nutrition dollars meant for hungry kids was stolen. It remains one of the largest cases of pandemic-era fraud in the nation and a reminder of how important accountability is in government programs.
That is why we pushed hard this session to establish an independent Office of Inspector General. Our Minnesota Senate voted 60 in support and 7 again creating the independent Office of Inspector General. In the Minnesota House, the vote tied 67 in support and 67 against this bill. When the vote is tied, the bill does not advance out of the House. The Office of Inspector General could provide real oversight, investigate waste and abuse, and help restore public trust, because the Inspector General does not report to the Executive Branch Commissioners like our current system. An independent Office of Inspector General reports to the Governor and the Legislature. It is obvious that our current oversight system does not work!
But we are not backing down. Next session, our team will bring this proposal forward again. We cannot keep patching holes after fraud has already occurred. We need accountability in government! We need a watchdog in place to stop fraud before it happens. Minnesotans deserve accountability and protection for every dollar they send to St. Paul, and I will keep fighting until we get it done.
Representative Tom Sexton – House District 19B