ALBANY – The New York State Legislature is urging Governor Kathy Hochul to engage an independent auditor to investigate fraud and misuse, similar to a scheme during the pandemic that cost Minnesota taxpayers over $250 million.
State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R-Niagara) emphasized that Hochul should enlist a private professional services firm to safeguard New York’s taxpayer dollars from criminal exploitation. It’s noted that in Minnesota, 78 individuals were implicated in embezzling federal funds designated for child care facilities.
“If Governor Hochul ignores the situation in Minnesota, New Yorkers will inevitably lose faith in the management of their tax money,” Ortt stated, accompanying a letter to Hochul that was signed by the entire Republican Senate delegation.
“The governor must do her job to ensure this doesn’t occur in New York,” he argued. “If there’s nothing to hide, then there’s no reason to decline an in-depth, independent audit. Not acting would be a serious disservice to taxpayers.”
The senators pointed to a variety of fraudulent operations recently uncovered by both state and federal investigators.
Examples of these include a $68 million fraud case related to the state’s CDPAP home health program, identified by the Department of Justice; an audit by the state auditor’s office that revealed over $500 million in Medicaid benefits improperly provided to out-of-state residents; and a state attorney general investigation that uncovered $13 million in Medicaid fraud.
“New York taxpayers deserve clarity on how their money is managed,” stated State Senator Tom O’Mara (R-Chemung), the Senate Finance Committee’s Ranking Member.
Ortt pointed out that tackling fraud is particularly relevant as both Hochul and New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani propose to inject public funds into New York’s universal childcare initiative.
“We need to ensure these programs are as efficient, transparent, and free of fraud as possible, especially with proposals for universal preschool on the horizon,” the letter asserts.
However, Hochul’s spokeswoman, Kara Cumoletti, dismissed the letter as a “political stunt,” emphasizing her administration’s controversial changes to the CDPAP program, which Ortt has publicly criticized.
“This is a blatant political maneuver from lawmakers who have resisted the governor’s attempts to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse in the state’s Medicaid system,” Cumoletti remarked.
“Instead of suggesting we use taxpayers’ money to fund the state comptroller or inspector general’s work, minority leaders should support the governor’s efforts to prevent fraud and protect taxpayers,” she added.
The letter, signed by 21 Republican lawmakers, has raised suspicions that it may have been generated using artificial intelligence, as indicated by several AI detection tools. A spokesperson, however, clarified that the AI tool was only used for grammatical corrections.
