ICYMI: Fox News: Senator Banks Demands Probe of Minnesota Childcare Fraud

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Senator Jim Banks (R-Ind.) sent a letter to Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Alex Adams urging the department to investigate and review Minnesota's childcare contracts in light of recent instances of childcare fraud.

See excerpts from the story below or read the full story here.

Read the full letter here.

EXCLUSIVE: Senator Jim Banks, R-Ind., is pushing for a federal investigation after sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) calling forthe agency to construct investigative reports of Somali networks as the roughly $9 billion fraud scandal in Minnesota continues to unfold.

The Indiana senator pointed out that the Minnesota Child Care Assistance Program is administered by the state government, but is largely funded by federal tax dollars through two programs that provide roughly $300 million in federal childcare subsidies to Minnesota.

On Sunday, Banks sent a letter to Alex J. Adams, the Assistant Secretary for Family Support, leading the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at HHS.

"I urge ACF to investigate reports of Somali networks creating fake 'daycare centers' as vehicles to steal millions of dollars from Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), which administers hundreds of millions of dollars in federal childcare subsidies each year," Banks' letter to HHS reads.

"Clearly, the Walz administration has failed to meet the most basic benchmarks required by ACF," Banks explained. "Any unlawful behavior uncovered in ACF's investigation must be immediately referred to the proper federal authorities including ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and Federal prosecutors."

"I will not stand by while tax dollars meant to support hardworking families are stolen and state officials refuse to act," Banks added.

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