Preventing fraud a centerpiece of Rep. Kristin Robbins’ campaign for governor

Rep. Kristin Robbins, a Republican candidate for governor, rolled out a fraud prevention agenda Monday as she seeks to amp up a key vulnerability of Gov. Tim Walz, who is seeking a third term.

Robbins, a Maple Grove Republican and chair of the House fraud prevention committee,
proposed an independent office of inspector general to regularly audit programs, bolstering the state’s oversight of providers that receive taxpayer funds and appointing commissioners who will create a “no fraud, no excuses” culture.

“Walz turned Minnesota into the fraud capital of the country. As governor, I will make it a fraud free capital for America,” Robbins said at a Capitol press conference.

Fraudsters have in recent years have gamed state government — and federal programs administered by Minnesota — out of hundreds of millions of dollars, including the infamous Feeding Our Future scandal, the state’s autism program and a bevy of Medicaid schemes.

Walz has touted various measures he’s enacted to prevent fraud, including an executive order establishing a statewide Inspector General Coordinating Council, though it’s unclear exactly what this council will do. His administration also shut down the Housing Stabilization Services program, which Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said, while announcing indictments, is riddled with fraud. Walz has also increased data-sharing across state agencies and established a financial crimes and fraud division at the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Robbins said that currently a lot of employees within agencies want to prevent fraud, but they don’t have the training and agency heads haven’t taken action when credible allegations of fraud arise.

In response to Robbins’ Monday press conference, DFL Chair Richard Carlbom criticized the lawmaker, saying she’s using her position on the fraud prevention committee to campaign for governor.

“Tim Walz continues to take real steps to combat fraud and ensure that state resources go to the people who need them most, proof of his sustained commitment to protecting Minnesotans,” Carlbom said in a statement. “Meanwhile, Kristin Robbins has focused on propelling herself into the spotlight instead of her work as Fraud and Oversight Committee chair where she’s passed 0 bills and found 0 cases of fraud.”

Robbins was first elected to the House in 2018, representing west metro cities like Maple Grove, Medina and Corcoran.

Scott Jensen, the 2022 GOP nominee for governor, and Kendall Qualls, an army veteran and health care executive, are also challenging Walz and vying for the GOP nomination.

As governor, Robbins said she would order a top-to-bottom audit of all of the Department of Human Service’s Medicaid programs, where the bulk of fraud in Minnesota’s programs has occurred.

“The Walz administration has prioritized shoveling money out the door and counting that as a success. Instead, we are going to standardize the basic due diligence that Minnesotans have thought was going on and that they expect of their state government,” Robbins said.

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