Senator Paul Utke (R- Park Rapids) Chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, released the following statement in response to the Office of the Legislative Auditor’s performance audit for the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) COVID-19 related grants:  

“Today the Walz administration is hiding once again behind the challenges of COVID to deflect sloppy oversight and failed internal controls. We all understand the challenges of COVID, but businesses and organizations across the state were expected to adapt and keep their operations in compliance, and government should be no different.   

“The report shows in many instances, proper documentation, program reviews, financial audits, or compliance checks could not be proven. The Department can deflect and obfuscate all they want, this report made it clear that even when MDH was given the chance to provide additional proof, in many cases they failed to do so.   

“The taxpayers deserve better than yet another audit showing poor oversight and lazy accountability. Senate Republicans will continue to hold government bureaucrats accountable to the highest standard.”