Politics

Republicans call for child care investigations after Minn. fraud cases

The moves come after a conservative content creator’s viral video.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson describes a sprawling fraud investigation involving state-run programs in Minnesota at a news conference Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Giovanna Dell’Orto)

Republican governors and lawmakers are calling for new audits and investigations into child care and daycare programs to root out fraud in the wake of a viral video spotlighting potentially billions in missing funds from a Minnesota child care program.

More than 90 Minnesota residents have been prosecuted for defrauding a pandemic-era program to feed children. A conservative YouTuber published a self-described investigation accusing child care centers in Minnesota of fraudulently taking federal funding but serving no children, capturing the attention of right-wing media outlets even as more traditional media outlets debunked many of the video’s claims.

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