WSJ Opinion: Potomac Watch Are Minnesota's $1 Billion Safety-Net Scams a Drop in the Bucket?
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Dec 5, 2025 Matt Continetti, a conservative commentator, and Kim Strassel, an opinion columnist, dissect Minnesota's staggering welfare fraud cases. They explore how lax oversight and political pressures allowed these scams to flourish, particularly within the Somali community. The duo discusses systemic weaknesses that invite abuse, advocating for reform in welfare programs to combat dependency. They also highlight how Republicans could leverage this issue in political debates, linking it to broader enforcement and immigration discussions.
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Three Distinct Fraud Schemes
- Prosecutors describe three separate Minnesota fraud plots that targeted Medicaid, child nutrition, and autism services.
- One halal grocery allegedly submitted names of nonexistent children and other groups falsified housing and autism claims for kickbacks.
Scale And Politics Undermine Safeguards
- Kim Strassel argues the safety-net system is too large and lacks effective policing, inviting widespread fraud and abuse.
- She says overlapping federal and state programs and political pressure hinder verification and accountability.
Identity Politics Can Shield Fraud
- Political pressure and fear of accusations of racism allowed some fraud to continue unchecked in Minnesota.
- Kim says identity-politics dynamics let minority-owned groups block scrutiny by threatening discrimination claims.