Nearly 7 in 10 Minnesotans say Walz ‘needs to do more,’ according to a new poll
Seventy-nine percent of registered voters in Minnesota think fraud in state programs is either the biggest or a major problem in their state, and just 14 percent think Gov. Tim Walz did enough to stop the fraud, according to a Monday KSTP and Survey USA poll.
In total 92 percent of respondents identified the fraud as a problem. Of that 92 percent, 25 percent called it the biggest problem in the state, and 54 percent called it a major problem, and just 13 percent called it a minor problem. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said Walz needs to “do more” to “stop fraud in Minnesota.”
The poll comes as Walz grapples with the fallout from a far-reaching Somali welfare fraud scheme that happened under his watch. Much of the fraud, which amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars, was uncovered after a group of mostly Somali immigrants set up a fraudulent charity, Feeding Our Future, and stole money from a federal child nutrition program. Federal investigations into the scheme, which have already led to 78 indictments, uncovered other similar Somali-related fraud schemes in Minnesota.
Walz in November denied accountability for failing to stop the scandal and instead credited himself with the federal investigation’s accomplishments. “Well, certainly I take responsibility for putting people in jail,” Walz said before shifting the blame to President Donald Trump. “This president has cut a lot of inspector generals. He’s cut programs that could help us tackle this on. That’s Donald Trump: deflect, demonize, come up with no solutions. He’s not going to help fix anything on fraud.”
Last week Walz pledged to welcome more Somalis into Minnesota. “We are going to defend our neighbors,” Walz said at a fundraiser. “Instead of demonizing our Somali community, we’re going to do more to welcome more in.”
The scandal has garnered the attention of Trump, who said he would end Temporary Protected Status for Somalis in Minnesota and would order a reexamination of Somali green-card holders.
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