{"id":2611123,"date":"2026-06-05T14:04:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:04:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-targets-craig-on-minnesotas-fraud-fighting-so-hard-to-hide-the-data\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T14:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T18:06:49","slug":"vance-targets-craig-on-minnesotas-fraud-fighting-so-hard-to-hide-the-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vance-targets-craig-on-minnesotas-fraud-fighting-so-hard-to-hide-the-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Vance targets Craig on Minnesota&#8217;s fraud: &#8216;Fighting so hard to hide the data&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fvance-targets-craig-on-minnesotas-fraud-fighting-so-hard-to-hide-the-data%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2611123&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Vice president JD Vance challenged Rep. Angie Craig after she defended Minnesota\u2019s reported SNAP fraud rate of 1.6%,arguing that Democrats are concealing data about corruption.Vance also defended Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, who said the federal government is being forced to rely on Minnesota figures because the state won\u2019t share relevant SNAP data with the USDA for auditing.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy has expanded into Minnesota\u2019s senate race, where the National republican Senatorial Committee used fraud as a key concern, citing an internal GOP poll. republicans say Minnesota has resisted federal requests to verify enrollment and verification data and argue that lack of cooperation and weak fraud-deterrence tools contribute to program growth. Federal watchdogs and lawmakers have raised concerns about whether Minnesota\u2019s SNAP system includes modern safeguards and whether oversight has been properly alerted to rising costs.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota, meanwhile, has pushed back against federal recertification demands and has argued that requirements for in-person interviews are unreasonable, including through a lawsuit. The dispute comes as Minnesota faces heightened scrutiny in the Trump administration\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/illegal-immigrant-accused-of-90m-medicare-scam-using-thousands-of-fake-medical-claims\/\" title=\"Illegal Immigrant Accused of M Medicare Scam Using Thousands of Fake Medical Claims\">broader anti-fraud efforts<\/a>, including aftermath of the USDA-linked \u201cFeeding Our Future\u201d scandal.Prosecutors and Republicans have alleged broader fraud beyond that case, and the article notes the Washington Examiner sought comment from the Craig campaign.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/jd-vance\/\">JD Vance<\/a> questioned Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN) on Wednesday for defending <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/minnesota\/\">Minnesota<\/a>\u2019s record on fraud, suggesting Democrats are hiding data on corruption. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/secret-service-detained-break-in-suspect-at-vances-cincinnati-home\/\" title=\"Secret Service detained break-in suspect at ...&#039;s Cincinnati home\">vice president weighed<\/a> in on a statement Craig made during a House hearing with Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, in which the Minnesota lawmaker said the state\u2019s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program fraud rate is only 1.6%. Craig\u2019s statement provoked swift backlash from Rollins, who said the federal government is relying on data touted by Minnesota officials because the state won\u2019t share food stamp data with the USDA or allow it to scrutinize figures. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4595078\/18-house-republicans-defy-trump-and-vote-to-send-1-3-billion-to-ukraine\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>18 House Republicans defy Trump and vote to send $1.3 billion to Ukraine<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4595724\/postal-regulator-congress-clarify-usps-responsibility\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Postal regulator asks Congress to clarify USPS\u2019s responsibilities while offering rosier view of financial future<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4594725\/democrats-turn-hearing-into-audition-reel-joe-concha\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Democrats aren\u2019t running hearings \u2014 they\u2019re filming TikToks: Joe Concha<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf the fraud rate is really as low as Democrats claim, why are they fighting so hard to hide the data?\u201d Vance defended Rollins<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/JDVance\/status\/2062575138722177349\"> in a post<\/a> to X. \u201cWhy not just work with USDA to audit and validate where the money is going? Their resistance to us going after fraud is part of why these programs ballooned in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The National Republican Senatorial Committee also jumped on Craig, in light of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scribd.com\/document\/1046861699\/IMPACT-Memo-MN-Senate-GE-Poll-June-2026\">an internal poll <\/a>the GOP said her Senate campaign commissioned, which touched on fraud. Craig is challenging Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the Democratic nomination in the race to succeed retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN).<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFraud is the top concern among general election voters,\u201d the poll reads. \u201cA negative message linking Flanagan to fraud is incredibly damaging and moves the US Senate race into a toss-up. \u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NRSC Regional press secretary Nick Puglia responded: \u201cWe\u2019re happy to see Angie Craig has come to the same conclusion we\u2019ve known from the beginning: over $9 billion in fraud under failed Democrat leadership in Minnesota and Republican Michele Tafoya on the ticket puts this seat squarely in play.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The development comes after the Trump administration and Republicans have <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/fischbach.house.gov\/2026\/4\/emmer-minnesota-republican-delegation-demand-walz-comply-with-federal-snap-data-requests-following-operation-cold-snap\">long requested access<\/a> to Minnesota\u2019s SNAP verification and enrollment data to target fraud. Conservatives <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americafirstpolicy.com\/issues\/states-can-reduce-fraud-in-snap-by-sharing-data\">believe data sharing <\/a>will promote transparency and program integrity, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/kstp.com\/accountability\/agency-overseeing-snap-in-minnesota-has-not-used-new-law-to-pause-payments-in-suspected-fraud-cases\/\">after reports<\/a> that the Minnesota Department of Children, Youth, and Families, which oversees the state\u2019s SNAP program, said it has not used a new state law that allows agencies to withhold payments to suspected fraudsters. There are also concerns from Washington\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/blog\/stolen-snap-benefits-cost-beneficiaries-millions\">federal watchdog<\/a> that Minnesota\u2019s SNAP system lacks modern measures designed to deter fraud, such as microchips. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cReports have indicated that Minnesota SNAP outlays increased from nearly $725 million in 2020 to nearly $1.5 billion in 2023,\u201d Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.grassley.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/grassley_to_usda_-_minnesota_fraud.pdf\">wrote in <\/a>January. \u201cWhat, if any, internal policies or procedures exist to alert oversight personnel for such dramatic increases?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of House Republicans in April <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/usdaoig.oversight.gov\/articles\/news\/press-releases\/operation-cold-snap-puts-minnesota-snap-traffickers-deep-freeze\">again pushed the state <\/a>to cooperate with the government after USDA and other <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >federal agents executed criminal search warrants<\/a> at nearly two dozen suspected SNAP trafficking retail locations in the Twin Cities. Minnesota has pushed back on calls to cooperate with the Trump administration on fraud, instead <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ag.state.mn.us\/Office\/Communications\/2025\/12\/23_SNAP.asp\">bringing a lawsuit<\/a> against the government, arguing that requests to recertify thousands of SNAP households through<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/SecRollins\/status\/2001002163900932248\/photo\/1\"> in-person interviews<\/a> are unreasonable. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt\u2019s bad enough that the USDA has no lawful authority to impose these impossible demands on Minnesota,\u201d Attorney General Ellison said. \u201cBut once again, the Trump Administration is threatening to let the needy go hungry. Donald Trump is doing whatever he can to keep vulnerable people hungry and scheming new ways to punish the states that want to keep them fed.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The debacle comes as Minnesota has taken center stage in the Trump administration\u2019s war on fraud, due to sweeping concerns about scammers compromising publicly funded welfare programs. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The $250 million <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/feeding-our-future-ringleader-sentenced-500-months\">Feeding Our Future <\/a>fraud scheme, which scammed federal child nutrition programs funded by the USDA,\u00a0triggered <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/dailycaller.com\/2025\/12\/17\/angie-craig-tim-walz-minnesota-somali-covid-fraud-scandal\/\">conservative uproar<\/a> against Craig, as several people charged in the operation were from her district. Investigators have probed extensive suspected fraud in other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-build-back-better-free-preschool-forces-lgbtq-activist-curriculum-on-faith-groups\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Build Back Better \u2018Free\u2019 Preschool Forces LGBTQ Activist Curriculum on Faith Groups\">publicly funded programs<\/a> as well, with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/minnesotareformer.com\/2025\/12\/18\/u-s-attorney-fraud-likely-exceeds-9-billion-in-minnesota-run-medicaid-services\/#:~:text=U.S.%20Attorney:%20Fraud%20likely%20exceeds,Medicaid%20services%20%E2%80%A2%20Minnesota%20Reformer\">federal prosecutors saying <\/a>that in Minnesota, Medicaid fraud alone likely costs taxpayers $9 billion. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4569385\/vance-becomes-key-gop-surrogate-for-control-of-house\/\"><strong>VANCE BECOMES KEY GOP SURROGATE IN FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF THE HOUSE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile that fraud in and of itself was breathtaking, the truth is, Feeding Our Future is only a start, and we believe it\u2019s only a small fraction of the fraud that is actually ongoing here in the state of Minnesota,\u201d federal prosecutors<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=FYbYDxVN6UU&#038;t=6s\"> said in<\/a> May. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>reached out to the Craig campaign for comment. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>JD Vance questioned Rep. Angie Craig over Minnesota SNAP fraud data, alleging Democrats hide corruption<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2611124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26015550296523.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[80890,18201,6909,5698,15469],"class_list":["post-2611123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-campaign-accusations","tag-craig","tag-fraud","tag-minnesota","tag-vance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/AP26015550296523.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2611123"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611123\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2611127,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2611123\/revisions\/2611127"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2611124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2611123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2611123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2611123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}