Throughout the 118th Congress, our office has worked to deliver results, accessibility, and accountability for our constituents.

During the last two years, we have hosted three in-person town halls to hear directly from our constituents. We held three veterans resource fairs to help connect veterans with federal and community resources to support their lives after service. We also hosted dozens of casework office hour events across the district. During these events, our casework team meets with Minnesotans in their communities and works with them to get their federal casework issues addressed. We have also worked hard to hold the politicians and bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. and St. Paul accountable to the people they serve.

During the pandemic, reports indicate that hundreds of billions of dollars of unemployment and food assistance benefits were stolen by fraudsters, some of it even happened here in Minnesota. Recently, a federal judge handed down a 12-year prison sentence to the first defendant in the Feeding Our Future scandal, a $250 million fraud scheme that has been described as the “largest pandemic fraud in the United States.”

This happened in Minnesota, under Governor Tim Walz’s leadership. Additionally, a nonpartisan state audit found that his administration “failed to act on warning signs” to prevent the fraud from happening.

Over 70 defendants have been charged in the fraud scheme that allegedly stole nearly $250 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service. This taxpayer money was intended to feed hungry children but instead was used to finance luxury real estate, vehicles, and even an airplane.

As part of our ongoing oversight and to prevent this from happening again, we have sent numerous requests for information and documents to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Governor Walz, and the Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett, but our concerns have fallen on deaf ears. Due to a lack of transparency from the State of Minnesota and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, we are no closer to understanding how $250 million of taxpayer funds were stolen from children and families in need. This is unacceptable; Minnesota taxpayers deserve answers.

As the 118th Congress comes to an end, we will continue our work to hold those responsible for this fraud accountable and deliver results for our constituents. If our office can ever be helpful to you or your family, please reach out to our office in Otsego at (763) 241-6848.