Amid a Republican-led inquiry by Congress into misuse of COVID disaster relief funds, a subpoena has been issued to Tim Walz, Vice Presidential nominee of the Democratic Party and Governor of Minnesota. The probe involves the management of federal funds designated for children’s nutrition programs by the state’s Department of Education.
The investigation was sparked by allegations involving Feeding Our Future, a nonprofit from Minnesota, entangled in a scandalous $250 million fraud as described by the Justice Department. This scam took advantage of a COVID relief initiative intended to assist children facing hunger due to the pandemic.
In her communication with Governor Walz, Committee Chair Virginia Foxx (R-NC) emphasized his accountability, given his position, for the oversight of the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) role in the Federal Child Nutrition Programs (FCNP). “As the chief executive and the highest ranking official in the state of Minnesota, you are responsible for the MDE and its administration of FCNPs,” she stated, adding, “Statements in the press by you and your representatives indicate that you and other executive officers were involved, or had knowledge of, MDE’s administration of the FCNP and responsibilities and actions regarding the massive fraud.”
The quest for documentation also led to the issuance of subpoenas to several other officials including MDE Commissioner Willie Jett, Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack, and Phyllis Fong, Inspector General for the Agriculture Department, with a specified compliance deadline set for September 18.
This development arises shortly after Kamala Harris, the Vice President, announced Walz as her choice for the vice presidency in the impending 2024 election cycle, despite the House GOP’s ongoing efforts to gather information on the Feeding Our Future case and Minnesota’s official response, dating back to the preceding year.
In 2022, the announcement of federal charges against multiple individuals linked to the scheme tagged it as the “nationwide largest fraud related to COVID-19” by the DOJ. By June of the current year, the legal process had resulted in the conviction of five individuals and 23 people in total being held responsible for their part in defrauding the $250 million scheme, as declared by U.S. Attorney Andrew Lugar.
Regarding queries on the lack of accountability within state agencies and disciplinary action for MDE staff, Walz defended, “This wasn’t malfeasance.” He further clarified his stance stating, “There’s not a single state employee that was implicated in doing anything that was illegal. They simply didn’t do as much due diligence as they should’ve.”
The Legislative Auditor’s Office in Minnesota criticized the MDE’s insufficient monitoring of Feeding Our Future in a summer report, indicating it paved a path for fraud. However, a spokesperson for Walz ensured Axios that significant corrective measures recommended by the Legislative Auditor have been implemented, reinforcing the administration’s dedication to “strong steps to find and eliminate any remaining vulnerabilities in government programs.”
