In what is quickly becoming a defining scandal for Minnesota’s state government, more than 400 employees from the Department of Human Services (DHS) have gone public with damning allegations against Governor Tim Walz. Their message is unambiguous: Walz is “100% responsible for massive fraud in Minnesota,” they wrote on X, accusing him of ignoring early warnings, retaliating against whistleblowers, and gutting oversight mechanisms that could have stopped the abuse.
This public rebuke isn’t coming from political rivals or anonymous outsiders—it’s coming from within his own government. A group calling itself the Minnesota Department of Human Service Employees, reportedly representing over 480 current DHS staffers, says they tried to raise red flags years ago about what would later become the Feeding Our Future scandal—a sprawling, COVID-era fraud case involving more than $250 million in stolen federal child nutrition funds.
What did they get in return? According to them: monitoring, intimidation, retaliation, and a governor more interested in protecting his political image than cleaning up corruption.
This isn’t just about administrative failures. The group claims Walz actively disempowered the Office of the Legislative Auditor, making it easier for state agencies to ignore audits and bury the truth. And while the governor eventually spoke out—calling the fraud “an attack on public trust”—his words ring hollow to those who say they were punished for trying to stop it.
The DOJ has already charged 78 defendants, with over 50 convictions secured, and the investigation isn’t over. Many of the individuals charged are from Minnesota’s Somali community, raising sensitive but unavoidable questions about how identity politics may have influenced enforcement—or the lack of it.
A New York Times report paints a grim picture: fake companies billing the state for social services that were never rendered, funds wired overseas, and a state government that, at best, looked the other way. Even more explosively, City Journal cited unnamed federal counterterrorism sources who believe some of the stolen funds may have made their way to Somalia—and possibly to Al-Shabaab, a designated terror group. While federal prosecutors have not confirmed any terrorism links in court, the mere suggestion has stirred deep concern.
Still, when pressed on Meet the Press about his personal accountability, Walz dodged: “I take responsibility for putting people in jail,” he said, while also cautioning against “demonizing” an entire community. That line may sound measured, but it sidesteps the question entirely: Who let this happen under their watch—and why weren’t the early warnings acted upon?
President Trump didn’t hesitate to weigh in. In a Nov. 21 Truth Social post, he called for the termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in Minnesota, citing “fraudulent money laundering activity,” and declaring, “Send them back to where they came from. It’s OVER!”
And if more than 400 state employees are to be believed, Governor Tim Walz had every chance to stop it.
