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Quoted By: >>1476785
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s administration has tried to shut down federal welfare spending in Democratic states over fraud cases in Minneapolis, proclaiming it the government’s duty “to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure these programs serve the families they were created to help.”
But the same administration let Republican-led Mississippi off the hook last year for one of the biggest welfare fraud scandals of all time.
Shortly before President Joe Biden left office, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families levied a $100 million penalty against Mississippi for allowing fraudsters to embezzle funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The penalty reflected the estimated size of the fraud.
But the Trump administration reversed the decision in April after the Mississippi Department of Human Services said it uncovered records that could validate some of its allegedly improper spending, rescinding the penalty, and telling the state it would “issue a new penalty letter at the appropriate time.” Eight months later, no new letter has been sent.
In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for HHS told HuffPost the ACF is “evaluating options to follow up with Mississippi.”
The deliberative back-and-forth between Mississippi and the federal government stands in stark contrast to the preemptive funding cutoff the Trump administration announced last week for several Democratic-led states. It calls into question whether the administration’s professed desire to stamp out fraud has more to do with politics than good governance.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/minnesota-welfare-fraud-trump-hhs-blue-states_n_69655c91e4b0365ff4dfc607?origin=top-ad-recirc
But the same administration let Republican-led Mississippi off the hook last year for one of the biggest welfare fraud scandals of all time.
Shortly before President Joe Biden left office, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families levied a $100 million penalty against Mississippi for allowing fraudsters to embezzle funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. The penalty reflected the estimated size of the fraud.
But the Trump administration reversed the decision in April after the Mississippi Department of Human Services said it uncovered records that could validate some of its allegedly improper spending, rescinding the penalty, and telling the state it would “issue a new penalty letter at the appropriate time.” Eight months later, no new letter has been sent.
In a statement on Monday, a spokesperson for HHS told HuffPost the ACF is “evaluating options to follow up with Mississippi.”
The deliberative back-and-forth between Mississippi and the federal government stands in stark contrast to the preemptive funding cutoff the Trump administration announced last week for several Democratic-led states. It calls into question whether the administration’s professed desire to stamp out fraud has more to do with politics than good governance.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/minnesota-welfare-fraud-trump-hhs-blue-states_n_69655c91e4b0365ff4dfc607?origin=top-ad-recirc
