Trump Freezes $185M in Fraudesota Childcare Funds Amid Expanding, Massive Probe
The Ben Ferguson Podcast
iHeartPodcasts
4.9 • 4.7K Ratings
🗓️ 31 December 2025
⏱️ 11 minutes
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Summary
- Main Allegation: Widespread fraud in Minnesota’s childcare programs, allegedly involving fake daycare centers and misuse of federal funds over the past decade.
- Federal Response:
- The Trump administration froze $185 million in federal childcare funds to Minnesota.
- Actions announced by Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill include:
- Activation of the “Defend the Spend” system requiring receipts or photo evidence before payments.
- A demand letter to Governor Tim Walz for a full review of childcare centers.
- Launch of a fraud reporting hotline and email.
- FBI and DHS expanded investigations, deploying additional agents to dismantle large-scale fraud operations.
- Political Angle:
- Governor Tim Walz and Democrats are negligent or complicit.
- The fraud is linked to Somali immigrant communities and compared to organized crime.
- Democrats tolerate fraud to secure votes and maintain political power.
- Media Reaction:
- MSNBC and The New York Times framed criticism as racist, accusing Republicans of scapegoating Somali immigrants.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.3 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:06.0 | Let me translate what he said. |
| 0:07.1 | The interest of Ilhan are not of the American people. |
| 0:23.7 | The interest of Ilhan is that of the Somalian people and Somalia. |
| 0:28.9 | You're listening to the 47 morning update with Ben Ferguson. |
| 0:33.0 | Good Wednesday morning. |
| 0:34.1 | So nice to have you with us on the 47 morning update and we've got one major story for you. |
| 0:38.9 | It deals with the state of Minnesota and the massive Somali fraud that is unfolding there. |
| 0:44.3 | Now toppling $9 billion in the latest fraud that's been found. |
| 0:49.7 | So what is the federal government's response? Well, the Trump administration is coming down |
| 0:54.8 | heavy-handed, and I have all the details on what aspects of the government are being used |
| 0:59.8 | to hold those accountable for stealing taxpayers' dollars in Minnesota. It's the 47 morning |
| 1:06.2 | update, and it starts right now. Story number one. Donald Trump is unleashing the federal government and its resources |
| 1:13.9 | to hold those accountable for the fraud in Minnesota |
| 1:17.9 | at a staggering pace. |
| 1:20.4 | We now know that federal funding has been frozen |
| 1:23.9 | and system safeguards are being put into place. |
| 1:29.6 | The Trump administration, starting with the Department of Health and Human Services, has froze about 185 million in federal |
| 1:36.6 | child care funds to Minnesota as part of accountability measures over suspected fraud in the |
| 1:43.2 | state programs. It was announced by the Deputy Secretary |
| 1:46.7 | Jim O'Neill. This is what he had to say about how much money is going to stop flowing to the |
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