• Facebook
• Twitter
• Threads
• Flipboard
• Comments
• Print
• Email
• Add Fox News on Google

Trump blasts Minnesota ‘Somalia fraud,’ says $18B in taxpayer money was stolen

President Trump reacts off the cuff to alleged fraud in Minnesota, claiming $18 billion in taxpayer funds were stolen. His remarks come as the administration freezes child care funding and orders audits following years-long investigations.

The Washington Post editorial board called on the Trump administration to press for "meaningful reform" of the country's entitlement programs, specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), after independent journalist Nick Shirley recently exposed over $100 million of fraud allegedly taking place in Minnesota's daycare system.

In an editorial Wednesday, the outlet said Shirley's investigation led to Minnesota's Somali fraud scandal finally piercing the national consciousness, quipping that such a "spirit of scrupulousness would have been nice a few billion tax dollars ago."

"As America’s welfare state has ballooned to more than 80 major federal programs, they’ve become a target-rich environment for alleged scam artists like those in Minneapolis. Walz’s boondoggle underlines the need for serious reforms across America," the Post argued. 

"Too bad that too many progressive leaders are lackadaisical at best about cracking down on fraud and errors, lest it curtail social services."

CRITICS WARN MINNESOTA LEGISLATION NOW TAKING EFFECT IS SETTING UP THE 'NEXT BILLION-DOLLAR FRAUD'

Fallout from Minnesota daycare fraud has prompted DHS to investigate whether it can and should denaturalize U.S. citizens of Somali descent involved in the scheme.  (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

The editorial board contended that this nonchalant attitude toward cracking down on fraud is "especially true when it comes to open-ended entitlement programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program."

Several Democratic states, the Post noted, have sued to block the Trump administration's efforts to "root out waste and fraud" by threatening to cut off SNAP funding to states that refuse to share recipient data, including immigration status.

The outlet added that it's still unclear whether the Trump administration could legally cut off the funding, adding that blue states won a preliminary injunction in October that temporarily blocked the request.

"The truth is that SNAP doesn’t just help the hungry," the Post asserted. "It had the fourth highest rate of documented fraud across all federal programs from 2018 to 2022, coming in at $10.5 billion."

TRUMP TARGETS MINNESOTA FRAUD ALLEGATIONS, SAYS ‘WE’RE GOING TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF IT’

As noted by the Post, Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey criticized the administration's approach, saying President Donald Trump is "playing politics with the ability of working parents with children, seniors and people with disabilities to get food."

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey delivers her inaugural address in the House Chamber at the Statehouse moments after being sworn into office during inauguration ceremonies Jan. 5, 2023, in Boston. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)

The outlet countered that concern by pointing to the state's own record, noting that "Massachusetts had a 14 percent error rate on SNAP payments in fiscal year 2024 — the seventh highest in the country," and that, nationwide, "overpayments represented a larger share of the error rate than underpayments."

"The tax bill passed in July requires states with an error rate over 6 percent to pay for up to 15 percent of the costs of benefits come 2028. A two year buffer was put in place to give states with high error rates, like Alaska, extra time to get their acts together — but why should the worst offenders get special treatment?" the editorial board asked. 

"The left claims Trump wants Americans to go hungry, but if an individual shouldn’t be eligible for food stamps in the first place, where’s the cruelty in making sure benefits go to someone who is?"

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

The Post reiterated that while "states clearly need to do better jobs of vetting welfare beneficiaries," the Trump administration has an "opportunity to press for meaningful reform." 

However, it warned that it would be a mistake to "squander it by using waste and fraud as an excuse to make inefficient cuts or to use beneficiary data to fuel a mass deportation crusade."

After Shirley’s video alleging rampant fraud in Minnesota’s daycare system went viral, the Post said the Trump administration used the momentum to justify freezing all childcare payments to the state. The outlet warned that fully eliminating the safety net would "hurt more than just fraudsters."

President Donald Trump arrives to speak at a campaign event Dec.19, 2025, in Rocky Mount, N.C.  (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Instead of freezing all childcare payments to the state, the editorial board said the federal government should "champion reforms that incentivize more responsible spending, such as block grants," arguing that by offering a fixed amount of funding, "Washington could encourage states to spend more carefully and vet recipients more thoroughly."

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

"Social safety nets crumble when most taxpayers feel like welfare money goes to undeserving people. The purpose of entitlements is not to spend as much as possible. It is to make sure the truly vulnerable get the help they need without becoming dependent on government handouts. Scrutinizing food stamp rolls is a small step in that direction," the Post concluded.

• ·焦科维奇宣布退出职业网球运动员协会
• ·《蜘蛛侠：崭新之日》预告泄露！墓碑登场 镜头致敬漫画
• ·泰国军方：柬方违反停火声明　一泰国士兵受伤
• ·中国城乡总经理康卓一行赴调研交流
• ·卡包荒野英魂祭坛逃课方法分享
• ·奥乐齐即将首进南京，四店同开，致力于成为"宁"买菜做饭首选
• ·英语小故事：疯狂的万圣节
• ·链动全球，共筑新机！中国家博会（广州）全球巡航启幕
• ·《蜘蛛侠：崭新之日》预告泄露！墓碑登场 镜头致敬漫画
• ·《蜘蛛侠：崭新之日》预告泄露！墓碑登场 镜头致敬漫画
• ·刘强东对京东大调整：王笑松任大快消事业群总裁
• ·迪桑特发布人物主题短片《轨迹之上 问顶未来》
• ·比亚迪再度亮相央视科晚，展示智能化新成果
• ·《全网公敌2新世界》PC版下载 Steam正版分流下载
• ·เบื้องหลังทรัมป์สั่งโจมตีเวเนซุเอลาและจับกุมประธานาธิบดีมาดูโร มีอะไรบ้าง ?
• ·1月6日人民币对美元中间价报7.0173 上调57个基点