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 should resign his office as governor over this. He won’t, but he should.