Colorado
Minnesota-like fraud in Colorado’s safety nets? Maybe, but keep the federal funds flowing to those in need (Editorial)
We, too, are horrified by the betrayal of America’s social safety-net systems perpetrated by dozens of individuals in Minnesota who bilked at least $1 billion from taxpayers for non-existent services and clients.
Colorado must act swiftly to triple-check that the federal dollars going out the door for programs like childcare, food pantries and cash assistance are reaching their intended targets and not subject to abuse.
However, we disagree vehemently with President Donald Trump’s attempt to freeze federal funding for Colorado and a handful of other states with zero evidence of the type of fraud we are seeing in Minnesota and Mississippi.
For years, the media has reported on fraud cases prosecuted in Minnesota by federal investigators who began their probes under President Joe Biden’s administration. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minneapolis first charged 47 defendants with stealing money from the child nutrition program. From there, the scheme began to unravel and prosecutors discovered a network of fraud.
“From Feeding Our Future to Housing Stabilization Services and now Autism Services, these massive fraud schemes form a web that has stolen billions of dollars in taxpayer money,” Joseph Thompson, then acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said at the time, according to The Wall Street Journal’s excellent account. “Each case we bring exposes another strand of this network.”
The scale of the fraud in Minnesota dwarfs the roughly $100 million welfare scandal that rocked Mississippi from 2016 to 2019, embroiling former NFL quarterback Brett Favre in a civil lawsuit and sullying the state’s reputation for oversight.
If such abuses are also taking place in Colorado, then our elected officials, prosecutors and law enforcement must root them out swiftly. Every dollar stolen from these programs is a dollar snatched from the hands of those truly in need. And in an increasingly expensive America, we know that these federal programs can be the difference between homelessness and stability for women and children.
On Jan. 6, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that it would freeze $10 billion of funding headed to Colorado, Minnesota, New York, California and Illinois for the Child Care and Development Fund, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and the Social Services Block Grant. Oddly absent from the list was Mississippi.
In Colorado, TANF provides financial support to 47,000 children living in poverty, while the Child Care and Development funding keeps 27,600 kids in child care for working families, according to The Denver Post’s Meg Wingerter. Cutting off those programs would harm Coloradans from inner cities to rural counties. Whether it’s farmers down on their luck waiting for tariff pressures to ease on our Eastern Plains or service workers in the mountains struggling to get by during a historically dry winter with low tourism, these dollars keep families in their homes and kids in quality care.
Fortunately, Attorney General Phil Weiser was able to join with other states to block the Trump administration’s actions. U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian of the Southern District of New York granted a temporary restraining order against the administration’s actions.
Colorado must be proactive, however, and provide taxpayers with evidence of oversight that would prevent fraud like that which has occurred in other states.
We know that Colorado is not immune.
In September of 2024, a federal grand jury indicted seven people for conspiring to defraud Medicare and Colorado Medicaid through a series of kickbacks and bribes to get referrals that could have led to more than $40 million in false claims. The outcome of the criminal case is still pending.
Coloradans can help by reporting suspected fraud to the Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. If you see something — outrageous prices billed to insurance, referrals for unnecessary services, etc — say something.
America’s safety net systems are too critical to shutter overnight, and too critical to allow waste, fraud and abuse to siphon assistance away from those in need.
Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more.
To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail.
A powerful search engine that organizes and provides access to vast information on the internet.
Colorado
Julian Lewis Says Deion Sanders’ Colorado ‘Wasn’t Really Looking at Defenses Much’ Last Season
Colorado quarterback Julian Lewis made a stunning admission that could explain the team’s 3-9 finish to the 2025 season.
While speaking to ESPNU at Big 12 media days, Lewis was asked what the biggest difference was between last year and this year, and he revealed that the Deion Sanders-coached Buffaloes typically didn’t watch film during his first season with the team.
“My play, I’m actually looking at the defenses now,” Lewis said. “Last year, we wasn’t really looking at defenses much, just kind of high school free-balling, just out there playing football. But it’s a lot bigger than that now, so it should be fun.”
Before taking a redshirt year, Lewis played in four games as a true freshman with two starts and threw for 589 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions while completing 55.3 percent of his passes. He should fare even better this season with the benefit of film study.
Lewis will enter the 2026 campaign as Colorado’s starting quarterback, so he will have the opportunity to show his improvements when the Buffaloes open the year against Georgia Tech on Sept. 3.
State and federal agencies are starting to reopen public lands, state wildlife areas and a segment of the Colorado River that were closed in light of the Snyder Fire in Mesa County.
Stage 2 fire restrictions — banning all open fire or flames, including charcoal grills and wood-burning stoves — remain in effect as extreme fire danger, spurred on by hot and dry conditions, persists across the region.
The Snyder Fire started on Friday, June 26, when several smaller fires burning on the Colorado-Utah border combined. As of July 7, the fire was 98% contained after burning over 30,200 acres and killing three wildland firefighters.
With fire activity decreasing and containment increasing, Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management shared their plans Tuesday to reopen lands impacted by the wildfire.
Parks and Wildlife said in a news release that it, alongside the Bureau of Land Management, had lifted the closure for public access and downstream recreation on the Colorado River, starting at the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita and extending to the Utah state line. It also reopened the boat ramp at the Fruita section of the James M. Robb-Colorado River State Park in Fruita to downstream traffic.
The state agency’s Horsethief State Wildlife Area in Fruita and the Loma Boat Launch State Wildlife Area also reopened.
The BLM said in a news release that all lands within the perimeter of the Snyder Fire burn area remain closed to ensure public and firefighter safety.
“The burned landscape — including vegetation — remains dynamic and unpredictable as it naturally recovers from the fire impacts. This order is effective immediately and will remain in effect until the order is rescinded,” the BLM said.
Both agencies also warned that fire danger remains extremely elevated and Stage 2 fire restrictions are in place.
A map of current federal and state fire restrictions is available on the Rocky Mountain Area Interagency Fire Restriction Dashboard or by visiting DFPC.Colorado.Gov/sections/wildfire-information-center. The Colorado Trails Explorer (or COTREX) app also has wildfire closure alerts.
Under current conditions, Parks and Wildlife advised the following actions to prevent sparking wildfires:
- Use established rings: Where permitted, only build campfires inside permanent metal fire rings in designated campgrounds.
- Clear nearby debris: Remove all dry grass, leaves and pine needles within a 10-foot radius of any flame.
- Drown and stir: Extinguish fires completely with water, stir the ashes, and ensure the debris is cold to the touch.
- Watch campfires constantly: Never leave a fire or portable stove unattended. If you see an unattended fire, call 911.
- Keep vehicles off brush: Avoid parking or idling cars on tall, dry grass where hot exhaust systems can ignite a fire.
- Secure towing equipment: Ensure trailer safety chains do not drag and spark against asphalt. Check them at every stop.
The BLM added that under its Stage 2 restrictions, smoking is prohibited except in an enclosed vehicle or building, a developed recreation site, or while stopped in an area at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable materials.
Gas-powered stoves or grills with a shut-off valve are still allowed in cleared areas under this stage.
Violating Stage 2 fire restrictions by lighting a campfire is a Class 2 misdemeanor. Violators face an immediate citation, a mandatory court appearance, steep fines and potential jail time. Additionally, you can be held financially liable for all fire suppression costs and property damage if the campfire sparks a wildfire.
-
San Francisco, CA9 minutes agoWhat’s next for San Francisco Giants as MLB trade deadline approaches?
-
Dallas, TX14 minutes agoDallas millionaire files lawsuit against groundwater district
-
Miami, FL21 minutes ago7 more women arrested at southwest Miami-Dade massage parlors, accused of prostitution in undercover sting
-
Boston, MA24 minutes ago‘They’re my buddies’: 96-year-old Back Bay woman befriends French soccer team
-
Denver, CO29 minutes agoDenver officers cited for separate incidents, 1 fired
-
Seattle, WA36 minutes agoStudy finds dangerous chemicals in the breast milk of Seattle moms
-
San Diego, CA39 minutes agoTom Krasovic: Justin Verlander’s announcement recalls Padres’ 2004 draft blunder
-
Milwaukee, WI44 minutes ago‘Peace on Every Block’ brings Milwaukee community together to fight gun violence
