Minnesota Republicans are accusing Democrats of keeping lawmakers in the dark for months about a state-commissioned Medicaid assessment that flagged more than $52 million in improper payments, arguing the delay denied them a chance to act on the report’s specific findings during the legislative session before the election."Fraud here has exploded under the Walz administration," Minnesota Republican Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth told Fox News Digital."Governor Walz has held no one in his entire administration accountable for the level of fraud.
It definitely brings into question what is in that report and why are they hiding it?"The Walz administration hired Optum to conduct a third-party review of Minnesota’s Medicaid program, scrutinizing 14 high-risk services.The report identified more than $52 million in improper payments but cautioned that improper payments do not necessarily constitute "fraud, waste or abuse." The Department of Human Services released a heavily redacted version to the public in February, prompting calls from Republican lawmakers to make the full version available so they could address the risks raised during the legislative session."Our election here in Minnesota is 29 days away.
We’re just four weeks out, and you really have to wonder why they are refusing to do this," Demuth, who is the GOP gubernatorial candidate, told Fox News Digital.WALZ ADMINISTRATION IGNORED FRAUD WARNINGS AS BILLIONS VANISHED, HOUSE OVERSIGHT REPORT ALLEGESMinnesota Gov.Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing at the U.S.
Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., on March 4, 2026.The committee held the hearing to examine the alleged misuse of federal funds intended for Minnesota social services and Medicaid programs.
(Getty Images)Minnesota currently has a divided state legislature, with the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL) holding a slim 34–33 majority in the Senate and a rare 67–67 partisan tie in the Hou...