News – Page 19 – Minnesota Senate Republicans

June 18, 2024

Jasinski: Riverland Community College to bring training closer to ‘home’ for southern MN cities

Cities across southern Minnesota are experiencing a shortage of water and wastewater operators. Southeast Minnesota cities work together to solve issues as members of the Southeastern Minnesota League of Municipalities (SEMLM), the only regional organization of cities in…

June 17, 2024

Nelson congratulates local arts grants award winners

The Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC) has awarded over $120,000 in grants to arts organizations across Dodge and Olmsted County. The funds will support youth programs, theatrical productions, concerts, festivals and more in Dodge and…

June 17, 2024

Sen. Lucero: Audits Confirm Pervasive Fraud Allowed by Walz Administration

Minnesota’s nonpartisan Legislative Auditor recently issued reports investigating the Walz administration’s bungled handling of two taxpayer-funded programs: the Feeding our Future child nutrition fraud scheme and the Frontline Worker Pay program. The findings outlined in…

June 17, 2024

Gruenhagen: Two scathing Walz admin fraud audits

Friends and neighbors, This week we received two scathing reports on fraud of taxpayer programs that have occurred under the Walz administration. These reports expose widespread mismanagement, lack of oversight, and failures to prevent theft…

June 17, 2024

Gruenhagen: Democrats silence parent concerns about explicit books

Friends and neighbors, This year Democrats passed a deeply troubling new law that would give licensed librarians sole authority over what books are placed in school libraries. It strips away the ability of parents and…

June 17, 2024

Community members gather in Elbow Lake to learn about $30 million rural EMS aid package

On Monday, June 10, State Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) along with State Representatives Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley) and Tom Murphy (R-Underwood) hosted a town hall meeting on the $30 million rural emergency medical services…

June 17, 2024

One Positive Bill at the End of Session, and an EMS Fix That Will Assist Greater Minnesota

Though many may have seen the extreme discontent in the final hours of session, there was one thing that I wanted to take a moment to highlight, and that is a much-needed Emergency Medical Services…

June 17, 2024

Eichorn: Waste, Fraud, and Abuse Continues in the Walz Administration

In under a week, two scathing reports of potential and confirmed fraud have come to light. The waste, fraud, and abuse that the Walz Administration has enabled is unacceptable. It’s critically important that we hold…

June 17, 2024

Senator Rasmusson blasts Walz Admin after OLA report highlights significant failures to stop Feeding Our Future fraud

On Thursday, June 13, the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) shared its latest reporton the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) oversight of the nonprofit Feeding Our Future. The report found MDE’s oversight of…

June 13, 2024

Lieske: VIETNAM VETERANS: SHARE YOUR STORY

Friends and neighbors, I hope all Vietnam War veterans across our state will take the opportunity to share their stories as part of the ongoing Vietnam War Commemoration Oral History Project. For too long, the…

June 13, 2024

Senator Bruce Anderson: Walz administration allowed $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud to flourish

Friends and neighbors, Throughout the pandemic, Minnesota nonprofit “Feeding Our Future” claimed to carry out its mission of providing nutritious meals to children. The reality, however, is that this organization was carrying out a massive…

June 13, 2024

Lieske: 9/11 VETERAN SERVICE BONUS DEADLINE APPROACHING

Friends and neighbors, The deadline is rapidly approaching for Minnesota’s veterans of the Post-9/11 era to apply for the service bonus they have rightfully earned. If you or someone you know is one of the…

June 13, 2024

Lieske: Scathing reports on Walz admin fraud

Friends and neighbors, This week we received two blistering reports on fraud of taxpayer programs that has occurred under the Walz administration. These reports reveal a disturbing pattern of mismanagement, lack of oversight, and failure…

June 13, 2024

Kreun Calls Out Department Of Education For Failing To Protect Taxpayer Dollars, Ensure Resources Reached Children In Need

In response to the recent report of alarming misuse of taxpayer funds by the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), Senator Michael Kreun (R- Blaine) criticized MDE for its failure to protect taxpayers. “Minnesotans have been…

June 13, 2024

Drazkowski statement on Feeding our Future fraud audit

Minnesota State Senator Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) today issued this statement following the release of a scathing audit of Minnesota’s Department of Education (MDE) and the Feeding our Future fraud scandal. “Today’s Feeding Our Future audit…

June 13, 2024

Senator Nelson repeats calls for accountability, transparency following another new report of taxpayer program fraud

A new report from Minnesota’s Legislative Auditor has uncovered yet another example of significant fraud and mismanagement in a state’s COVID-19 pandemic program. The audit of the Frontline Worker Pay program found that lax eligibility…

June 13, 2024

Senate GOP blasts Walz Admin after OLA report highlights significant failures to stop Feeding Our Future fraud

Today Senate Republicans held a press conference to respond a devastating report from the nonpartisan Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) reviewing Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) oversight of the nonprofit Feeding our Future. The report found MDE’s oversight…

June 11, 2024

Jasinski: Rare bipartisan victories this year

By: SENATOR JOHN JASINSKI As I have written many times, Democrat one-party control has been immensely frustrating and concerning for those of us who believe in relationships and a collaborative government. The Democrats’ zeal for…

June 11, 2024

State’s bungling of frontline worker benefit program made it easy to defraud, hard to verify eligibility, resulted in much smaller than expected checks for workers

Today the Office and the Legislative Auditor released its financial audit report on how the state ran the 2022 Frontline Worker Pay Program. A bipartisan, bicameral working group met to determine who would be eligible…

June 10, 2024

Senator Rasmusson responds to initial Feeding Our Future convictions

Senator Jordan Rasmusson (R-Fergus Falls) released the following statement after hearing the jury delivered mostly guilty verdicts in the Feeding Our Future fraud case: “The initial convictions in the Feeding Our Future case are a…