The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor has issued a subpoena to Democratic vice presidential nominee Gov. Tim Walz (D-Minn.).
Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., the committee chair, wrote Walz a letter on Wednesday notifying him of the subpoena, which seeks documents related to “responses to and accountability for the massive fraud” of taxpayer money by numerous individuals connected to the nonprofit program. First published by PunchbowlNews Published Subpoena.
Seventy people involved in the “Feeding Our Future” program are accused of taking part in what the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's Office called a “brazen” scheme to steal $250 million from a government program meant to feed hungry children during the pandemic, Axios reports. Reported.
In June, the Office of Legislative Auditors (OLA) released a report criticizing MDE's “inadequate oversight of Feeding Our Future 'created opportunities for fraud' and failed to address warning signs in the meal program.” Minnesota Star Tribune Reported In June.
In Minnesota, the state Department of Education (MDE) administers the Federal Child Nutrition Program (FCNP) that many of Feeding Our Future's affiliates are alleged to have defrauded. MDE receives reimbursement for the program from the USDA. As governor, Walz “is responsible for the management of MDE and FCNP,” Fox noted.
Fox is Sent The two letters to the Minnesota Department of Environment “requested information regarding the handling” of alleged misconduct within federal child nutrition programs and Feeding Our Future. While Minnesota has not provided the committee with substantive responses to the many voluntary requests it has made on the subject, the letters said the materials the committee has received indicate that the actions of Walz and other administration officials “were insufficient to address the massive scale of misconduct.”
Fox wrote:
The Committee must now compel you to submit a responsive document outlining the extent of actions you and your Administration have taken related to MDE's management of FCNP, and the extent of your commitments and actions to address the massive fraud that led to the misuse of taxpayer money that was meant to be used for hungry children.
Fox further pointed to press statements by Waltz and representatives of his office that “suggest” that “Mr. Waltz and other executives were involved in or knew about MDE's management of FCNP and its responsibilities and actions related to the massive fraud.”
She highlighted a comparison between Governor Walz's statement about his decision not to hold the agencies accountable and a statement from his spokesperson saying his administration had taken the “corrective actions” recommended by the OLA.
When asked about the decision not to hold the agency accountable and whether MDE officials would be disciplined, you responded, “This is not wrongdoing.”7 You also stated, “No state employees are alleged to have engaged in any misconduct; they simply did not exercise the due diligence that they should have.”8 However, one of your spokesmen reportedly stated that your administration “has already implemented many of the corrective actions proposed by the OLA.” [Office of the Legislative Auditor] And it took “robust steps to discover and eliminate remaining vulnerabilities in government programs.”9
Waltz has until noon on Sept. 18 to submit the requested documents.
