It shouldn’t should be mentioned, however right here we’re: waste, fraud, and abuse of taxpayer {dollars} is improper. It’s displaying up with alarming frequency throughout the county.
What was once dismissed as a “one-off” scandal or an unlucky oversight is beginning to appear to be one thing a lot larger. What’s changing into tougher to disregard is who seems to be benefiting when oversight collapses.
A current nationwide survey from the Cato Institute discovered that People imagine the federal authorities wastes 59 cents of each greenback it spends. Ninety-eight p.c of People assume there may be not less than some waste, fraud, or abuse in authorities spending, and two-thirds say there’s a substantial quantity. Practically 9 in ten People assist auditing all authorities spending to root it out.
Folks clearly don’t really feel revered by how their cash is being dealt with.
In Minnesota, investigators and journalists have raised critical questions on fraud schemes tied to networks that disproportionately benefited non-citizens, whereas the households really paying into the system have been left footing the invoice. We’ve all seen the reviews of luxurious properties, high-end automobiles, and designer attire funded by applications meant to serve kids and low-income households. It’s onerous to not see that as profoundly unpatriotic.
Right here’s the half many are forgetting: taxpayer {dollars} don’t magically seem. American households work onerous for his or her cash. They clock in early, work late, juggle youngster care, groceries, lease or mortgage funds, pupil loans, and utility payments that appear to rise each month. They price range rigorously as a result of they should. When the federal government takes a bigger share of that paycheck, the expectation is straightforward: don’t waste it.
When Minnesota’s fraud scandals lastly reached a boiling level, Governor Tim Walz did the naked minimal. He stepped away from his 2026 re-election marketing campaign, saying, “I’m extra dedicated to this state than I’ve ever been.” But it surely’s too late. The injury is already executed, and the complete scope of what occurred there may be nonetheless coming into focus. This hits house for us in Massachusetts, and residents ought to be paying consideration. The warning indicators are beginning to look very acquainted.
Right here at house, two males have been charged in a SNAP advantages fraud scheme costing taxpayers greater than $7 million. Prosecutors allege the defendants offered meal packs supposed for weak households abroad and exchanged hundreds of thousands in advantages for money. That cash was meant to assist feed kids and assist these in want. As a substitute, it was siphoned off and exploited.
And whereas $7 million is unhealthy, it barely registers in comparison with what Massachusetts taxpayers have already absorbed.
The state burned via greater than a billion {dollars} on failed migrant shelter plans, with little to point out for it. When questions started piling up, detailed public reporting quietly stopped. Transparency didn’t enhance. It disappeared. If that doesn’t increase alarm bells, it ought to.
That is precisely how Minnesota’s Feeding Our Future scandal unfolded. This system was rolled out underneath the banner of compassion. Oversight was lax. Inside warnings have been brushed apart. Auditors flagged issues that went unaddressed. And all of the whereas, checks stored going out the door. By the point federal prosecutors stepped in, a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands had been stolen, and taxpayers have been left holding the bag.
Management isn’t performing stunned after the cash is gone. Management is asking onerous questions earlier than it ever leaves the treasury.
Massachusetts now dangers repeating the identical errors.
Practically one in seven Massachusetts residents receives SNAP advantages, a charge far greater than neighboring states like New Hampshire, Vermont, and Connecticut. Investigators and courtroom data have raised issues about childcare suppliers that refused inspections, failed to answer scheduled visits, and reported enrollment numbers that didn’t align with actuality. These aren’t minor administrative errors. They’re obvious crimson flags.
And when crimson flags are ignored, fraud thrives.
Each greenback stolen is a greenback taken from a working household. It’s cash that would have stayed in a family price range to pay for groceries, heating oil, youngster care, or tuition. As a substitute, it’s funneled into techniques which are lengthy on slogans and brief on accountability.
The widespread thread between Minnesota and Massachusetts isn’t ideology. It’s governance: one-party dominance, bloated bureaucracies, weak oversight, and leaders who confuse intentions with outcomes. My concern is that we’re solely on the tip of the iceberg in the case of fraud. There’s extra coming, and we’ll be paying consideration.
Jennifer Nassour is the co-founder of the Pocketbook Mission, host of the Political Contessa Podcast, and former Chair of the Massachusetts GOP.
