Trump Admin To Send
U.S. Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer testified before the House Appropriations subcommittee overseeing labor, health and human services, education, and related agencies on May 15, 2025, in Washington.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced plans for a targeted review of Minnesota’s unemployment insurance program amid increased scrutiny of fraud in the state’s human services programs, an issue that has gained political attention at the national level.
In a letter to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the department said recent news reports detailing fraud in Medicaid-funded human services programs could indicate potential fraud or abuse within the state’s unemployment benefits system.
“If there has been any related abuse of our (unemployment insurance) systems, it will not be tolerated, and I trust our specialized strike team to get to the bottom of this and report their findings directly to me,” Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a press release, per the Minnesota Reformer.
Also, Chavez-DeRemer told Fox Business on Monday that her agency was sending an unemployment insurance ‘strike team’ to Minnesota to widen the fraud probe.
“We’re going to send in a UI strike team to find out exactly what’s happening on the ground. We will NOT tolerate fraud under this administration,” she told host Stuart Varney.
A spokesperson for DEED stated that the agency consistently surpasses the federal Department of Labor’s standards for payment accuracy and maintains a fraud rate lower than the national average.
“We welcome the opportunity to illustrate the strength of our payment controls and oversight,” DEED said.
Chavez-DeRemer is the latest Trump administration official to focus on fraud in Minnesota in recent weeks after the issue drew the attention of President Trump.
Trump has publicly highlighted the background of defendants charged in the Feeding Our Future and Medicaid fraud cases, noting that many have Somali ancestry.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week that his department is increasing scrutiny of funds flowing to what he described as “areas of concern, such as Somalia,” and is examining allegations that fraud proceeds have been routed to the militant group al-Shabaab, the Reformer noted.
The allegations, based on anonymous sources and published by a conservative media outlet, are not new and have not been supported by any federal charges related to terrorism financing.
Minnesota has shifted from being the land of 10,000 lakes to the land of billion-dollar frauds. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz has faced mounting scrutiny as multiple large-scale fraud schemes have unfolded during his tenure.
Recent reports indicate Minnesota has suffered substantial taxpayer-funded fraud, much of it allegedly involving individuals within the state’s Somali community.
The state is still recovering from the fallout of the $250 million Feeding Our Future case, as new reporting from City Journal uncovered additional alleged fraud tied to Minnesota’s Medicaid Housing Stabilization Services program.
The report also noted accusations that millions from the scheme were funneled to the terror group Al Shabaab.
Investigators estimate the total fraud at roughly $1 billion across various public assistance programs.
Fox News reported the amount may ultimately be far higher. “Fraud investigators are finding in Minnesota is growing by the day,” Fox News National Correspondent Garrett Tenney reported.
“Kelly Loeffler, who leads the Small Business Administration, says in the two days her agency has been investigating the state, they’ve uncovered at least $1 million in PPP fraud.”
Tenney added that whistleblowers told lawmakers “they believe the total amount of fraud could total up to more than $8 billion.”
Walz has faced questions over accountability as he defended the state’s programs.
“And in spite of the headwinds we’re up against, Minnesota ranks economically, economic growth, happiness, number of people insured, education levels near the very top,” Walz said, pointing to a budget surplus that does not account for the alleged fraud losses.
A Little Girl Saves a Billionaire’s Life — Then He Discovers Who She Really Is
It was a scorching afternoon in Dallas when Alexander Reed, once celebrated as a tech prodigy and self-made billionaire, collapsed on the sidewalk — and no one noticed.
People rushed past without slowing down. Some assumed he was drunk. Others thought he was just another exhausted executive in an expensive suit. No one realized that the CEO of Nexora Technologies was lying there, barely conscious.
He had just lost fifty million dollars in a disastrous investment. His mother was in intensive care after suffering a stroke. Years of sleepless nights and relentless pressure had finally broken him.
But fate had other plans.
A little girl in a bright red dress, chasing butterflies nearby, froze when she heard the sound of his fall. She ran toward him, placed her tiny hand on his chest, and whispered softly, “He’s still breathing.”
With trembling fingers, she grabbed his phone and dialed emergency services. Her calm voice and quick thinking saved his life.
Neither of them realized that this moment — a stranger’s compassion on a blazing Texas afternoon — would change everything.
Because the man she had just saved was not a stranger.
He was…
Her father.
A child born from a brief love story years ago.
Alexander blinked in shock as he looked at her. The little girl stared back with eyes that felt hauntingly familiar.
Her smile. Her gaze. Something deep inside him stirred. A memory long buried surfaced — a summer night, a soft laugh, a promise he never kept.
“Daddy…” she whispered, her voice small but certain.
The word pierced through him.
He leaned forward slowly, hands shaking.
“Are you… are you really mine?” he asked, his voice barely steady.
She nodded shyly, clutching the worn teddy bear she carried everywhere.
In that moment, Alexander felt his heart shatter and mend all at once. For years, he had chased success and wealth, ignoring the fragile human connections that truly mattered.
And now destiny — in the form of a fearless little girl — was giving him a second chance.
The paramedics stood nearby, quietly respecting the scene.
Alexander gently brushed her hair from her face, tears filling his eyes.
“I will never let you go again,” he whispered.
That day, on the scorching pavement of Dallas, a life was saved — and a family long separated was finally brought back together.
Past mistakes and future hope met in the eyes of a little girl brave enough to change everything.
