Trump's War on Minnesota

Cult leader, convicted felon, and failed President Donald Trump is waging a war against the state of Minnesota. There is really no other way to put it. He first sent in over 3,000 masked thugs in an attempt to brutally suppress the population. In reaction, thousands of Minnesotans mobilized to protect their neighbors and resist the federal occupiers. While agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the federal forces were ultimately forced to concede defeat. But Trump has not given up on punishing Minnesota. Yesterday, Vice President and reply guy JD Vance announced that the federal government would halt $259 million in Medicaid reimbursements to the state. This is economic warfare targeting the most vulnerable Minnesotans.

During his State of the Union address, Trump engaged in his typical false and racist claims, exaggerating the extent of fraud in Minnesota's federally funded welfare programs. In addition, Trump announced that Vance would lead an effort to combat fraud. But make no mistake, fraud is not the motivating issue. Rather, fraud is a pretext to excuse another move by Trump to punish Minnesota for having the audacity to stand up to him. As I have previously written, this is an administration of Internet trolls. They have no interest in the tedious work of creating policies that improve people’s lives. Rather, they seek headlines and social media content, mostly aimed at demonstrating that they are "owning the libs." The idea that Vance is interested in combating fraud when the biggest fraudster in the nation is his boss is ludicrous. There has been well-documented fraud in the state of Mississippi in which Trump and Vance have shown no interest. Mississippi is a red state, and the fraud involves former National Football League quarterback and friend of Trump, Brett Favre. That is not a case that would be politically beneficial for Vance's photo-ops.

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, referring to the thousands of federal immigration agents that Trump sent to Minnesota, stated that:

This has nothing to do with fraud.

The agents Trump allegedly sent to investigate fraud are shooting protesters and arresting children. His DOJ is gutting the U.S. Attorney’s Office and crippling their ability to prosecute fraud. And every week Trump pardons another fraudster.

Walz is correct about the U.S. Attorney's Office. Many of the top prosecutors have either left or been fired, including the prosecutors who had been in charge of investigating fraud in Minnesota's social service programs. The Trump administration has actually made investigations more difficult and less likely to succeed.

Medicaid funding supports society's most vulnerable. The funds go to children, the elderly, those who are disabled, and the impoverished. It is typical of the bullies of the Trump administration to target those who are weakest. Moreover, Minnesota has already spent its own money based on the expectation that the state would be reimbursed by the federal government. Now, those funds are being held hostage by Vance.

In other remarks, Walz said:

This is a campaign of retribution. Trump is weaponizing the entirety of the federal government to punish blue states like Minnesota. These cuts will be devastating for veterans, families with young kids, folks with disabilities, and working people across our state.

Trump and other administration officials have consistently exaggerated and lied about the fraud that has occurred in Minnesota. While members of Minnesota's Somali community were involved, it was a small number. The leader of the group was a White woman who is now in prison. The fraud was discovered by former president Joe Biden's Justice Department. Joseph Thompson and Harry Jacobs led a team of federal prosecutors during the Biden administration that charged dozens of people with crimes related to the fraud. The Trump administration did not take interest until a right-wing YouTuber made a series of misleading and overly dramatized videos. Both Thompson and Jacobs resigned in January due to pressure by senior Justice Department officials to criminally investigate the widow of Renee Good.

Moreover, recent federal data shows that the rate of improper payments in Minnesota's Medicaid program is much lower than the national average. The rate in Minnesota is 2.1% compared to the national average of 6.1%. This data was collected prior to Minnesota's implementation of even more stringent measures to prevent fraud. There is simply no legitimate justification for Vance cutting funding to the state.

The halt on funding announced by Vance is likely to be unlawful. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said:

Courts have repeatedly found that their pattern of cutting first and asking questions later is illegal, and if the federal government is unlawfully withholding money meant for the 1.2 million low-income Minnesotans on Medicaid, we will see them in court.

Earlier this month, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing the federal government from withholding funding for social service programs in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota, and New York. Also this month, another federal judge prevented the Trump administration from cutting off funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in several Democratic states. Congress appropriates funds and it is the Executive Branch's job to distribute the money, not to withhold it.

If fraud were actually a concern in Minnesota, what would be needed would be accountants, auditors, and investigators. Trump first sent armed thugs and now is sending Vance. Vance's withholding of funds will likely be overturned in federal court. But Vance has had his photo-op and headlines. Presumably therefore, he will judge this action to have been a success.