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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said connected Friday that she is suspending payments connected each progressive and aboriginal awards from the USDA to Minnesota amid the long-running fraud scandal successful which the White House has alleged a misuse of national funds.
In a missive addressed to Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, Rollins said the suspended payments, arsenic of Friday evening, full conscionable implicit $129 million.
As reasons for her suspension, she highlighted the alleged fraud schemes involving the nonprofit group Feeding Our Future, Minnesota's Housing Stabilization Services program, and claims of fraud at daycare centers astir the state.
"Despite a staggering, wide-reaching fraud scandal, your Administrations garbage to supply basal accusation oregon instrumentality communal consciousness feasures to halt fraud," Rollins said successful the letter, which she posted connected societal media.
She asked Walz and Frey to supply her bureau with justification for each national spending to the authorities from Jan. 20 of past twelvemonth "to the present" wrong 30 days, and said that payments moving guardant volition "require specified outgo justification."
In a reply to Rollins' post, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said connected societal media, "I volition not let you to instrumentality from Minnesotans successful need. I'll spot you successful court."
WCCO has reached retired to Walz's and Frey's respective offices for comment.
A bid of multimillion-dollar alleged fraud schemes successful the authorities has drawn the attraction of the Trump medication successful caller months. President Trump has called Minnesota a "hub of fraudulent wealth laundering activity."
On Friday, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the instauration of a caller IRS task unit and different measures to combat fraud, underscoring the administration's absorption connected the state amidst an immigration crackdown.
"Minnesota is going to beryllium the protocols, procedures and investigative techniques and collaboration. Minnesota is going to beryllium the genesis for a nationalist rollout," Bessent said portion visiting the state.
U.S. officials told CBS News connected Wednesday that the Justice Department is sending a squad of national prosecutors to Minnesota to assistance analyse allegations of wide fraud wrong the state's societal services programs.
Walz connected Monday announced helium was dropping retired of the 2026 gubernatorial race amid aggravated scrutiny of his handling of the scandal, though helium has defended his administration's response, saying "we've spent years cracking down connected fraudsters" and accusing Mr. Trump of "politicizing the contented to defund programs that assistance Minnesotans."
Joe Walsh contributed to this report.
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