![\"Minnesota](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot_69-1762847740-q80.webp\")
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The\u00a0FBI executed search warrants at eight locations across the Twin Cities<\/strong>, targeting five service providers accused of billing Medicaid for services that were either not provided or grossly misrepresented. Authorities say the alleged schemes exploited a program meant to protect some of the state\u2019s most vulnerable residents.<\/p>\n Governor Walz, who has been outspoken on the issue of fraud in Minnesota\u2019s social programs, stressed that his administration is working closely with federal authorities.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re going to commit these crimes in Minnesota, you are going to get caught,\u201d Walz said in an interview with WCCO last month.<\/p>\n He added that new oversight mechanisms have been implemented, including the appointment of a new Inspector General and updated tools to detect Medicaid abuse. However, he admitted that the state still needs more advanced resources to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish we would have gotten a little more out of this legislative session,\u201d Walz noted. \u201cThere are AI tools out there that could help us detect fraud earlier and prevent it from happening in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n Acting U.S. Attorney\u00a0Joe Thompson<\/strong>\u00a0confirmed that Minnesota is facing a\u00a0serious and systemic fraud problem<\/strong>, echoing concerns raised by his predecessor, Andrew Luger. Thompson said the generosity of Minnesota\u2019s safety-net programs can make them a target for abuse.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Housing Stabilization Services program has proven to be extremely vulnerable to fraud,\u201d Thompson said, emphasizing that investigators will continue to follow the evidence wherever it leads.<\/p>\n The targeted locations reportedly included facilities in\u00a0<\/p>\n Walz acknowledged that Minnesota\u2019s long-standing reputation as a\u00a0generous state<\/strong>\u00a0sometimes leaves it open to exploitation.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure children get food and families have housing support,\u201d Walz said. \u201cBut good intentions don\u2019t protect us from bad actors. That\u2019s why we need to remain vigilant and ensure that every dollar goes to those who truly need help.\u201d<\/p>\n The FBI has not announced any arrests yet, but sources familiar with the investigation say indictments could follow as prosecutors review the evidence gathered during the raids. If the fraud allegations are proven, those involved could face significant federal charges, including wire fraud and Medicaid fraud, both of which carry steep penalties.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Walz pledged that his administration will continue tightening oversight, investing in modern detection tools, and working with federal agencies to close loopholes.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is about protecting the people who rely on these services,\u201d Walz said. \u201cWe will not tolerate anyone who tries to cheat the system at the expense of vulnerable Minnesotans.\u201d<\/p>\n Chuck Schumer faces calls to step aside over failure to secure Obamacare subsidies extension<\/p>\n The eight critical votes that advanced a short-term spending package on Sunday evening and put the government on the path to re-opening also tore the seams of Democratic Party unity, bringing scrutiny to its\u00a0shutdown\u00a0strategy and leadership.<\/p>\n One of the eight said that the plan Democrats had rallied around at its outset had crumbled.<\/p>\n “After six weeks \u2014 going on seven weeks \u2014 that path wasn\u2019t working,” Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, said. “It wasn\u2019t going to happen. The question was: Does the shutdown further the goal of achieving some needed support for the extension of the tax credits? Our judgment was that it will not produce that result.”<\/p>\n Would it change in a week? Or another week? Or after Thanksgiving? There\u2019s no evidence that it would.”<\/p>\n SHUTDOWN IGNITES STRATEGIST DEBATE: WILL TRUMP AND GOP PAY THE POLITICAL PRICE IN 2026?<\/p>\n Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, speaks at a press conference with other Senate Democrats who voted to restore government funding in Washington, Nov. 9, 2025.\u00a0(Nathan Posner\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n To other Democrats, it\u2019s the party\u2019s top figures who led a losing effort.<\/p>\n “Senator Schumer is no longer effective and should be replaced. If you can\u2019t lead the fight to stop healthcare premiums from skyrocketing for Americans, what will you fight for?” Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif, said\u00a0in a post\u00a0on social media on Sunday.<\/p>\n The government first plunged into a shutdown 40 days ago on Oct. 1 when Democrats rejected a short-term spending bill advanced by Republicans in the House meant to keep the government afloat until Nov. 21. Democrats had demanded that lawmakers first consider expiring\u00a0COVID-era Obamacare subsidies\u00a0set to phase out at the end of the year. Republicans, who saw spending and the tax credits as completely unrelated, refused to negotiate on the tax credits during the shutdown.<\/p>\n Ultimately, Republicans avoided any substantive concessions on the Obamacare credits.<\/p>\n The package advanced by the Senate on Sunday looks to reopen the government through Jan. 30, 2026, and also includes a bundle of three yearlong spending bills to fund Veterans Affairs, the country\u2019s agriculture expenses and the legislative branch.\u00a0<\/p>\n In return, Democrats who voted for the package secured the inclusion of language that prevents the Trump administration from conducting mass layoffs of federal workers through Jan. 30 and guarantees back pay for federal employees fired since the beginning of the shutdown. Additionally, they secured a stand-alone vote on the tax credit subsidies to be considered later this year, although that vote remains likely to fail without the needed Republican support.<\/p>\n To some Democrats, a failure to secure an extension \u2014 or even a partial extension \u2014 of the Obamacare subsidies was unacceptable.<\/p>\n GOVERNMENT SHUTS DOWN AFTER CONGRESS DEADLOCKS ON SPENDING DEAL<\/p>\n Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., walks to speak at a news conference following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jun. 17, 2025.\u00a0(Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “I cannot support a deal that still leaves millions of Americans wondering how they are going to pay for their healthcare or whether they will be able to afford to get sick,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said of the proposal.<\/p>\n “That\u2019s not a deal. It\u2019s an unconditional surrender that abandons the 24 million Americans whose healthcare premiums are about to double,” Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., said\u00a0in a post\u00a0on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n But after 40 days of waiting, frustrations over the lack of an off-ramp didn\u2019t just come from the senators who voted to advance the legislation.\u00a0<\/p>\n “I just don\u2019t get what the point is of delaying even longer,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said moments after opposing the bill. “I want Republicans to grow a backbone and say, \u2018Regardless of what Donald Trump says, we\u2019re going to restore these cuts on healthcare,\u2019 but it looks like I\u2019ve lost that fight. So, I don\u2019t want to impose more pain on people who are hungry and who haven\u2019t been paid.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., who pledged to vote against the package over its silence on Obamacare subsidies, said he understood the cracks in the party\u2019s unity.\u00a0<\/p>\n SPEAKER JOHNSON FLIPS SCRIPT ON DEM LEADERS WITH STAUNCH WARNING AGAINST GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN<\/p>\n Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., walks through the Senate Subway in the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 27, 2025.\u00a0(Anna Moneymaker\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “On healthcare, I\u2019d like to keep trying,” Coons said. “But I understand, I respect my colleagues who are saying it\u2019s time.”\u00a0<\/p>\n CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP<\/p>\n A final vote on the spending package is expected to take place in the Senate early this week. After that, it must clear the House of Representatives before it can become law and reopen the government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The\u00a0FBI executed search warrants at eight locations across the Twin Cities, targeting five service providers accused of billing Medicaid for services that were either not provided or grossly misrepresented. Authorities say the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6935","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t