Vice President JD Vance chaired the first meeting of an anti-fraud task force aimed at cracking down on fraud in government programs nationwide. Some of the fraud, he says, dates back 30 to 40 years.

However, in his opening remarks, he highlighted fraud in the Minnesota state government in recent years.

“Now what we’ve seen is Somali fraudsters at an industrial scale taking advantage of that program to the tune of millions and millions of dollars,” he said, talking specifically about fraud in autism programs.

House Fraud Committee takes aim at autism programs

In an interview recorded for “At Issue with Tom Hauser” on Friday afternoon, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz says he’d welcome help in fighting fraud but doubts how interested the Trump administration is in helping the state.

“All fraud is too much,” Walz said. “One dollar is too much. I don’t really believe the vice president is interested in helping with this. If he was, he’d get us more U.S. attorneys. If he was, he’d have more FBI agents out here focused on this rather than harassing people in the streets. But what I would tell Minnesotans on this is they know it’s unacceptable. We’re on the path to having the most secure programs in the country. I take full responsibility for making sure that’s fixed.”

Walz acknowledges the involvement of some in the Somali community in several fraud cases in Minnesota, but says the fight against fraud shouldn’t be based on race or ethnicity.

Walz says ‘organized crime’ to blame for extensive fraud in Minnesota

“Going on there and talking about the Somali community, there are plenty of white men committing fraud too, and I don’t hear him talking about that. What I would tell you as a Minnesotan, I don’t care what your ethnicity is, your religion, the color of your skin, if you’re committing fraud, you’re going to prison. That’s my job to make sure it happens.”

You can see the entire interview with Gov. Walz on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. on “At Issue.”

You’ll hear his response to a wide range of issues, ranging from his budget proposal to license tab fees to whether he plans to get involved in helping other Democrats in the midterm elections.

UNDATED (WJON News) — A new report says hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans are caring for a loved one.

The AARP says its report indicates 840,000 Minnesotans are caregivers for adults, providing care for older parents, spouses, neighbors, and other loved ones.

They spend about 480 million hours of care each year, work that would be valued at $11.1 billion per year if it were paid in the marketplace, based on a value of about $23 per hour.

AARP says family caregivers are averaging about 27 hours each week.

More than half, 57 percent, are providing high-intensity care, meaning they spend more hours helping with daily tasks like bathing and dressing, as well as complex medical and nursing tasks like wound care and administering injections.

AARP says these numbers are why it advocated to help secure Paid Family Leave and Medical Leave in Minnesota, giving family caregivers the ability to be there for their loved ones without sacrificing their jobs.

AARP also helps families navigate caregiving challenges by connecting them to resources.

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