Op-Ed: Let Minnesota be a lesson. Taxpayers deserve better than business as usual.

January 20, 2026 -- The following is an excerpt from an opinion piece published in the Washington Reporter:

Across the country, Americans are working harder and feeling like they are falling further behind. Groceries cost more. Health care costs more. Housing costs more. And too many families are left wondering why, after paying their taxes and playing by the rules, the system still doesn’t seem to work for them.

One of the chief reasons is fraud. Not the abstract kind buried in spreadsheets, but real fraud that drains taxpayer dollars, weakens essential programs, and erodes trust in government at every level. When fraud runs rampant, it makes everything more expensive, leaves people feeling cheated, and convinces too many Americans that elected officials are either unwilling or unable to protect the resources meant for them.

Republicans are pushing back against that reality. Across Congress and in statehouses, we are focused on protecting benefits for those who rely on them and safeguarding tax dollars for the people who earn them. Fighting fraud is not about cutting programs or punishing those in need. It is about ensuring that programs work as intended and that bad actors are held accountable.

Consider what happened under Gov. Tim Walz’s (D., Minn) watch, where investigators uncovered massive fraud perpetrated by a Somali fraud network that diverted hundreds of millions of dollars from public programs. Funds meant to support vulnerable families and children were instead siphoned off through fake invoices, sham operations, and blatant deception. The scale of the abuse shocked taxpayers and left many asking a simple question: how could this happen, and why did it go on for so long?

The answer points to a broader problem. Weak oversight and slow accountability invite abuse. When fraudsters believe no one is watching, they take advantage of systems designed to help people in need. That does real damage. It steals from the very communities those programs are supposed to serve and fuels cynicism among taxpayers who expect their money to be used responsibly.

Read the full opinion piece here.