Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz bragged about making it easier for people to get into the child care business during last year’s vice presidential debate with JD Vance, awkward resurfaced footage shows — as the state’s Somali immigrant community has been accused of bilking millions of dollars in aid meant for day care centers.
“We have to make it easier for folks to be able to get into [the child care] business and then to make sure that folks are able to pay for that. We were able to do it in Minnesota,” Walz said on stage as he proposed a federal paid family medical leave program.
The debate clip resurfaced following a mega-viral video from independent journalist Nick Shirley that exposed the vast scale of alleged fraud in the North Star State.
Many of the child care centers he visited had their doors shuttered despite receiving millions in aid from the state over the last several years, records reportedly show — including a day care with a misspelled sign that got $4 million in taxpayer money despite being empty.
The video prompted a response from FBI Director Kash Patel, who claimed yesterday the allegations were “just the tip of a very large iceberg” as he threatened convicted Somali scammers with denaturalization and deportation.
Critics were quick to drag Walz for the resurfaced debate comments.
“Yes Tim, you sure did make it easy for people to open childcare businesses. They don’t even need to provide childcare to get paid,” one person wrote on X, alongside the clip.
“Tim Walz was saying the quiet part out loud… If we only knew then what we know now,” another chimed in.
The alleged fraud schemes date back to 2015, when day care centers were accused of overcharging Minnesota’s Child Care Assistance Program.
More recent alleged scams have involved Medicaid-funded disability schemes, including a housing program that helps seniors and disabled people find and move into housing.
Federal authorities estimated that the extent of the rampant fraud could total $9 billion.
Walz previously addressed the alleged fraud at a press conference in November, before the full scale of the purported abuse came to light.
The scandal “undermines trust in government” and “undermines programs that are absolutely critical in improving quality of life,” Walz said at the time.
A spokesperson for Walz told Fox News Sunday in response Shirley’s video that the Democratic governor “has strengthened oversight — including launching investigations into these specific facilities, one of which was already closed.”
