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EXCLUSIVE: Senate bill targets Minnesota-style ‘runaway fraud’ to force scammers to repay taxpayers

EXCLUSIVE: Senate bill targets Minnesota-style ‘runaway fraud’ to force scammers to repay taxpayers

EXCLUSIVE: Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst is introducing legislation Thursday targeting fraud in federal programs — a proposal that would set early-warning tripwires to flag suspected scams and push agencies to claw back taxpayer dollars, Fox News Digital has learned. “It’s absolutely unacceptable that the fraud running rampant in Minnesota could end up costing taxpayers more than $9 billion,” Ernst told Fox News Digital. “My Putting an N to Learing about Fraud Act will ensure this never happens again by putting more safeguards in place to detect scams early and require the recovery of any money ripped off from taxpayers.” Ernst’s office said the bill is designed to hit fraud on two fronts: tightening rules around childcare payments and creating new spike alerts in healthcare programs to flag suspicious surges early, while also pushing the federal government to recover improper payments. If passed, the bill would force state plans tied to federal childcare dollars to pay providers based on documented attendance — not just enrollment — to prevent taxpayer money from going out for care that never happened. MINNESOTA FRAUD CASE IS ‘CANARY IN THE COAL MINE’ FOR GOVERNMENT SYSTEMS — INCLUDING ELECTIONS, LAWYER WARS It also underlines that states can reimburse providers after services are delivered rather than paying upfront. Providers taking federal funds would have to track attendance and keep those records for seven years, making them available for audits by the Department of Health and Human Services, the attorney general and the comptroller general. On the healthcare front, the legislation would create new notification requirements tied to abrupt jumps in health billings and costs. States would be required to notify Health and Human Services when the amount being paid for a service increases by more than 100% in a year, or if the number of providers seeking payment increases by 100% in a year.  GOP SENATORS LAUNCH TASK FORCE TO CRACK DOWN ON FRAUD TIED TO MINNESOTA SCANDAL Beyond early detection, the bill aims to force agencies to claw back funds either swindled from taxpayers or received in error. It would direct the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance to federal agencies to ensure improper payments are recovered and require inspectors general to report annually the amount of improper payments recovered by each agency. MINNESOTA FRAUD WHISTLEBLOWER SAYS ‘LACK OF GUARDRAILS WAS PRETTY SHOCKING’ The legislation follows the sweeping fraud scandal that continues to plague Minnesota. Dozens of arrests have been made, most of whom are from the state’s large Somali population, as investigators uncover hundreds of millions of dollars in alleged fraud swindled from taxpayers through welfare and social services programs.  Federal prosecutors have said the fraud could total $9 billion.  “The swindlers in Minnesota and everywhere else soon are going to ‘lear’ the hard way that in the era of DOGE, crime no longer pays,” Ernst added in a comment to Fox News Digital, referring to the viral “Quality Learing Center.”  The misspelled Quality “Learing” Center daycare sign became a focal point of the fraud scandal after YouTube journalist Nick Shirley dug into alleged fraud in Minnesota.  Fox News Digital learned that Ernst will also name Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as the January recipient of her office’s “Squeal Award” for “failing to stop the runaway fraud in his own backyard.” Ernst awards various lawmakers and government fraud scandals themselves the Squeal Award each month to spotlight “out of control waste.” The governor dropped out of his re-election effort earlier in January amid the fallout of the fraud scandal. Walz, who has served as governor since 2019, took ownership of the fraud as it occurred under his watch, but argued multibillion-dollar figures were “sensationalized” by Republicans.  “Whoever is in charge. Unlike the president, I’m governor now (and) whether these programs happen before we got here or afterwards, it doesn’t matter. We’re here now. We’re the ones fixing it. You have my guarantee on this, that I certainly will have this thing fixed,” Walz said earlier in January.  Fox News Digital reached out to his office on Thursday morning for additional comment.  Ernst has long positioned herself as a leading Senate watchdog on waste and fraud, working with both Congress and the Trump administration to flag questionable spending.  She launched and leads the Senate Department of Government Efficiency caucus as President Donald Trump readied to reclaim the Oval Office, which works to snuff out government spending, reduce bureaucracy and enforce transparency, producing more than $15.1 billion in real savings.

Border czar Tom Homan vows to stay in Minnesota ‘until the problem’s gone’

Border czar Tom Homan vows to stay in Minnesota ‘until the problem’s gone’

White House border czar Tom Homan vowed Thursday to remain in Minnesota leading Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations there “until the problem is gone.”  Homan made the statement during a Thursday morning news conference, his first since President Donald Trump sent him to the Twin Cities earlier this week. He said the administration is working on a “drawdown plan” to decrease presence of federal agents in the state. The border chief said he had a “very productive” meeting with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Wednesday. Ellison agreed to notify ICE when local jails were releasing violent illegal aliens, a major request from federal law enforcement. “One ICE agent can arrest one bad guy when he’s behind the safety and security of a jail when he’s behind bars and we know he doesn’t have weapons,” Homan said. “But when you release that public safety threat illegal alien back into the community–We have a job to do. We’re going to arrest him, so we’re going to find him.” MINNESOTA AG KEITH ELLISON DENIES DON LEMON, ANTI-ICE PROTESTERS VIOLATED FACE ACT AS DOJ MULLS CHARGES “So now what happens is now we’ve got to arrest somebody on his turf where he has access to who knows what weapons. Now we’ve got to send a whole team out,” Homan explained. GREGG JARRETT: IF WALZ IS CHARGED IN MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL, HIS BEST DEFENSE IS INCOMPETENCE Homan went on to demand that the “hostile rhetoric” and threats against ICE officers has to stop, vowing that agents will remain in the Twin Cities to do their jobs. “President Trump wants this fixed and I’m going to fix it with your help,” Homan said. Trump deployed Homan to Minnesota after heated clashes between anti-ICE agitators and federal agents across the Twin Cities. The unrest resulted in the deaths of two U.S. citizens, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, at the hands of law enforcement. The Trump administration has accused Minnesota leaders of encouraging harassment of federal law enforcement, singling out Ellison, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey. This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates.

Chicago Teachers Union sparks backlash with video harassing Target employees over ICE as test scores plummet

Chicago Teachers Union sparks backlash with video harassing Target employees over ICE as test scores plummet

Members of the Chicago Teachers Union filmed themselves protesting federal immigration enforcement and anti-DEI measures at a local Target on Friday, sparking criticism both online and from experts who spoke to Fox News Digital.  In a video posted on Tuesday by the union, members can be seen entering a Chicago area Target holding anti-ICE signs, harassing employees and demanding answers about whether Target will “protect” its employees from ICE.  “As a private business, Target has a choice,” the post said. “They can use their Fourth Amendment rights and post signs that demand ICE show warrants to enter their building. Instead, they’ve allowed harm to their employees and customers, while continuing to roll back DEI commitments and bow to pressure from the Trump administration.” The post resulted in criticism in most of the replies on social media. NEA INSIDER BLOWS WHISTLE ON ‘TOXIC’ CULTURE AND FAR-LEFT POLITICS INSIDE TEACHERS UNION: ‘IT’S A CULT’ “The CTU can’t help itself — they feel compelled to weigh in on every political issue,” Teacher Freedom Alliance posted on X. “And they bankroll these so-called ‘protests’ with your tax dollars.” Erika Donalds, America First Policy Institute’s chair of education opportunity, told Fox News Digital that the statement made by the union “tells you everything about the goals of today’s teachers unions.” “They’re harassing retailers and pushing radical politics instead of doing the job they’re paid to do: advocate for the best education for our nation’s children. While kids are falling behind in reading and math, union leaders are staging protests over immigration enforcement. They don’t speak for teachers, they don’t serve students, and at this point they barely even pretend to care about education.”  Nicole Neily, founder and president of Defending Education, told Fox News Digital the union priorities aren’t in line with what’s best for students.  “Union thugs bullying hourly employees in Target stores isn’t brave or just — it’s naked intimidation of people who are simply trying to earn a paycheck,” Neily said. CHICAGO TEACHER PLACED ON LEAVE AFTER FACEBOOK POST SUPPORTING ICE SPARKS OUTRAGE FROM ACTIVISTS “The Chicago Teachers Union lost the plot a long time ago, and this is yet another example of their skewed priorities. While the CTU clout-chases on X, two-thirds of Chicago Public Schools students can’t read at grade level, and four out of five children can’t do math at grade level.” Fox News Digital reached out to the union for comment.  Earlier this month, CTU faced blowback from the Washington Post for pursuing social justice initiatives in its school district even as student reading and math proficiency continues to decline. In an editorial, the Post took aim at the CTU’s New Year’s resolutions posted to X on Monday. The union stated that its resolution is to “speak truth to power,” and it committed to “defending Black and brown and immigrant communities who are targeted by federal agents,” as well as “fighting back against an administration trying to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and roll back civil rights protections.” “Those are lofty goals in a school district that can hardly teach kids to read and write,” the Post quipped. “In 2025, 43 percent of Chicago’s third through eighth grade students were reading at grade level.” Fox News Digital’s Marc Tamasco contributed to this report.

Federal court rules Noem terminating temporary protected status for Venezuelans in US was illegal

Federal court rules Noem terminating temporary protected status for Venezuelans in US was illegal

A federal appeals court ruled late Wednesday that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem acted unlawfully when she ended legal protections allowing hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans to live and work in the United States. The decision by a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that found she exceeded her authority when she ended temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelans under the Biden-era Venezuela TPS designations, according to The Associated Press. All three judges on the panel were nominated by Democratic presidents. The ruling comes as the Trump administration has argued that TPS for Venezuela created a “magnet effect” for illegal migration and undermined border enforcement. TPS shields eligible migrants from deportation and allows them to work legally in the United States while conditions in their home country are deemed unsafe.  The panel also upheld the lower court’s finding that Noem exceeded her authority when she moved to end TPS early for hundreds of thousands of people from Haiti. TRUMP ADMIN ENDS TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR BURMESE MIGRANTS The judges ruled that the TPS legislation passed by Congress did not give the secretary the power to vacate an existing TPS designation. “The statute contains numerous procedural safeguards that ensure individuals with TPS enjoy predictability and stability during periods of extraordinary and temporary conditions in their home country,” Ninth Circuit Judge Kim Wardlaw, who was nominated by President Bill Clinton, wrote for the panel. Wardlaw said Noem’s “unlawful actions have had real and significant consequences” for Venezuelans and Haitians in the United States who rely on TPS. “The record is replete with examples of hard-working, contributing members of society — who are mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, and partners of U.S. citizens, pay taxes, and have no criminal records — who have been deported or detained after losing their TPS,” she wrote. The decision, however, will not have any immediate practical effect after the U.S. Supreme Court in October allowed Noem’s decision to take effect pending a final decision by the justices. Fox News Digital contacted DHS for comment. DHS TERMINATES TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR AROUND 76K HONDURAN, NICARAGUAN MIGRANTS Noem’s termination meant that 268,156 Venezuelan nationals currently in the U.S. lost their status and were no longer legally allowed to reside in the United States, according to figures shared with Fox News Digital from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The TPS designation expired on Sept. 10, 2025, with termination effective 60 days after the publication of the Federal Register notice. The Federal Register notice set the termination’s effective date as Nov. 7, 2025. In September, 3,738 pending initial applications that were to be eligible for TPS and 102,935 pending renewal applications were also terminated. “Given Venezuela’s substantial role in driving irregular migration and the clear magnet effect created by Temporary Protected Status, maintaining or expanding TPS for Venezuelan nationals directly undermines the Trump Administration’s efforts to secure our southern border and manage migration effectively,” a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital in September. “Weighing public safety, national security, migration factors, immigration policy, economic considerations, and foreign policy, it’s clear that allowing Venezuelan nationals to remain temporarily in the United States is not in America’s best interest,” the spokesperson added. The agency also announced in November that approximately 353,000 Haitian nationals currently holding TPS will see their protections expire in February. Ninth Circuit Judge Salvador Mendoza, Jr. wrote separately that there was “ample evidence of racial and national origin animus” that reinforced the lower court’s conclusion that Noem’s decisions were “preordained and her reasoning pretextual.” “It is clear that the Secretary’s vacatur actions were not actually grounded in substantive policy considerations or genuine differences with respect to the prior administration’s TPS procedures, but were instead rooted in a stereotype-based diagnosis of immigrants from Venezuela and Haiti as dangerous criminals or mentally unwell,” he wrote. Fox News’ Preston Mizell and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

EAM Jaishankar set to visit United States next week, what’s on agenda?

EAM Jaishankar set to visit United States next week, what’s on agenda?

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar is scheduled to visit the United States next week. The US Department of State had said this month that the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial, to be held on February 4 by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will bring together partners from across the globe