JD Vance has referred Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison to the Department of Justice for a criminal fraud investigation rooted in a Republican-led congressional report [1].

The 205-page House Oversight Committee report alleges Walz and Ellison were aware of widespread taxpayer fraud in Minnesota’s social programs but repeatedly failed to act [1, 2]. The panel estimates the state lost $300 million in federal nutrition funds and up to $9 billion in potentially fraudulent Medicaid billing [2]. The report further claims state officials retaliated against whistleblowers who raised concerns about the fraud [1, 2].

According to the report, the Walz administration paid the nonprofit Feeding Our Future for about two years after becoming aware of fraud suspicions in 2020 [2]. Federal prosecutors have charged more than 110 individuals connected to these fraud schemes in Minnesota, including some linked to the state’s Somali immigrant community [2].

JD Vance said, "Minnesota state officials are not above the law, and if they facilitated fraud, lied under oath about what they knew, or harassed and intimated whistleblowers, they must face justice" [1].

Walz’s office dismissed the report as a partisan attack. Spokesperson Teddy Tschann said, "This committee has proven time and time again to be nothing more than a joke... They continue to rehash Covid-era fraud to distract from endless wars, gas prices, ICE, and the president’s..." [1].

Keith Ellison called the allegations unfounded and the DOJ referral a political stunt aimed at attacking opponents. He said, "The report’s allegations were unfounded... It contains no evidence to show that he or his office ignored or failed to act on fraud claims" [1].

In March 2026, Walz testified before Congress outlining efforts taken against COVID-era fraud in Minnesota social programs [1]. The congressional report and subsequent referral directly challenge those assertions.

The Department of Justice has yet to announce any steps in response to Vance’s request for a criminal probe.