Congressman Pete Stauber wants answers from Gov. Tim Walz

U.S. Congressman Pete Stauber is leading a Minnesota Republican delegation in a letter to Governor Tim Walz demanding answers and accountability on what he calls a massive fraud scandal.

The letter comes following the news that 62 investigations have been opened to look into federally funded childcare centers in Minnesota for fraud and other serious violations.

The letter reads (in part):
“Minnesotans deserve better leadership, and they deserve transparency. For these reasons, we request the Minnesota Department of Human Services provide us with all documents and communications regarding the 62 active investigations into childcare centers, including all violations cited and funding allocated to each center. This will allow us to provide critical oversight of your administration’s questionable operation and failure of management.”

The Minnesota Department of Human Services confirmed to our sister station KSTP and 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS that its Office of Inspector General has 62 active investigations into family child care and child care centers in the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) across the state.

One day care center in Minneapolis, Quality Learning Center Daycare, had 95 violations between 2019 and 2023, according to DHS records. Those violations range from “failure to keep hazardous items away from children” to “no records for 16 children.” In 2022, DHS placed the facility on a conditional license.

Read the full letter HERE.