Rep. Tom Emmer from Minnesota is looking for answers from Governor Tim Walz after a video gained traction online. The footage displayed Emmer confronting a YouTube journalist who encountered an empty daycare center midweek—this center allegedly receives substantial federal funding for up to 99 children.
YouTuber Nick Shirley visited the Quality Learning Center in South Minneapolis and noted that the center’s sign even had a typo, misspelling “Learning.”
As Shirley approached the facility, a woman, whose identity remains unknown, shouted, “Don’t open it,” mistakenly assuming Shirley and another man were Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“There’s no one here,” Shirley stated in the video.
Emmer shared Shirley’s video on X and expressed his thoughts.
“Four million dollars of your hard-earned tax dollars is disappearing into educational centers that can’t even learn properly,” Emmer remarked. “Could you please explain this to me, @tim_walz?”
Shirley later mentioned on YouTube that the center reported receiving $1.9 million in 2025, with the $4 million figure likely covering the previous two years.
Another report indicated that the center had received nearly $8 million in federal funding since 2019.
The confrontation video circulated widely this week amid ongoing controversies involving the Walz administration, which lost funding over allegations of social welfare fraud, notably in connection with the Somali community in the Twin Cities.
As reported by Breitbart News, U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson declared last week that approximately half of $18 billion in federal welfare funds had been lost to fraudulent activities.
This amount is greater than the entire gross domestic product of Somalia, according to the Government Accountability Institute.
The Quality Learning Center has faced scrutiny in the past. This year, it was also noted for amassing 95 violations from the National Welfare Department from 2019 to 2023, following an investigation by ABC affilia, 5KSTP in St. Paul.
Among the violations were issues like “failure to keep hazardous materials away from children” and “lack of records for 16 children,” the report stated.
