Today’s announcement by the Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) terminating the Housing Stabilization Services Medicaid benefit points to a deeper failure by the Walz administration. After reports of widespread fraud, DHS abruptly ended the program and announced plans to “redesign and relaunch” it. Serious questions remain about why it took so long to act, whether recently passed integrity measures were effective, and who will be held accountable for this massive breakdown.
“Today we learned Governor Walz is shutting down a housing program riddled with fraud, not to fix it, but to prevent any more embarrassment. Instead of holding anyone accountable, they’re pulling the plug before an audit can expose just how badly they mismanaged millions in taxpayer funds,” said Senate Republican Leader Mark Johnson (East Grand Forks).“This is just the latest example of an administration that refuses to safeguard public dollars or protect the vulnerable people these programs are supposed to serve. It took a billion dollars in fraud for the governor to act. Minnesotans deserve better than a governor who lets fraud flourish.”