Gov. Tim Walz said a new report last week that scrutinized the state Education Department for its lack of oversight of Feeding Our Future, the nonprofit at the center of a massive FBI fraud investigation, is a “fair critique.”
‘We can always do better,’ Gov. Tim Walz says of Education Department after report criticizes oversight of Feeding Our Future
Walz said the Legislative Auditor’s report was a “fair critique” of the department, though he said no state employees are accused of wrongdoing.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 18, 2024 at 9:56PM
But, he added, the state agency has improved oversight measures to prevent fraud, and he defended state employees for their work during a crisis.
“We can always do better. Again, context matters; it was a challenging time for everybody,” Walz said of 2020 when the pandemic shuttered schools and organizations were rushing to get food to children in need. “We certainly take responsibility for that.”
The Office of the Legislative Auditor, a nonpartisan office that audits state government, released its 120-page special report last week, criticizing the Education Department’s inadequate oversight of Feeding Our Future, which “created opportunities for fraud,” and said it failed to act on warning signs in the meal programs.
When asked Monday about the report, Walz thanked the Legislature for adding new tools for the Education Department, including hiring an inspector general to investigate fraud allegations.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reimburses schools, nonprofits and day cares for feeding low-income children after school and during the summer. The programs are administered in Minnesota by the Education Department, which enforces federal rules.
Last week, Republican leaders blasted Walz for not holding agencies accountable and asked if Education Department employees will be disciplined.
When asked about that on Monday, Walz said: “This wasn’t malfeasance.”
“There’s not a single state employee that was implicated in doing anything that was illegal. They simply didn’t do as much due diligence as they should’ve,” Walz said.
Earlier this month, a jury convicted five of seven defendants in the first case to go to trial. Those seven were among 70 people charged in an overall $250 million fraud scheme of the meal programs.
Star Tribune staff writer Rochelle Olson contributed to this story.
