"Minnesota nice" was always a nod to the region's Germanic-Nordic-Scandinavian heritage, where stoicism, modesty, and social restraint are prized. It's also that heritage that drove Minnesota to provide robust social programs and welfare to state residents.
The problem is that the state was then overrun with illegal immigrants from Somalia, a culture diametrically opposed to everything "Minnesota nice." Couple that with the woke insanity of the state's Democrats, and it quickly became a costly recipe for disaster. Several state welfare programs, including Feeding Our Future, housing programs, and Medicaid, have become hotbeds of fraud. That fraud has cost Minnesota taxpayers billions, led to the death of at least one vulnerable man, and sponsored Islamic terrorism in Somalia.
That fraud was also known and was likely aided by Governor Tim Walz and AG Keith Ellison.
The state hasn't gotten that problem under control, but starting on January 1, 2026, it will hand fraudsters another massive program they can scam for billions.
Minnesota's new Paid Family and Medical Leave Law, which allows up to 20 weeks of leave and paid benefits, will take effect starting Jan. 1, 2026.
— FOX 9 (@FOX9) December 2, 2025
You can take paid leave to care for yourself during serious health conditions, like surgery, injury, a chronic condition, pregnancy,… pic.twitter.com/w5BPl2ZCVC
Here's more:
You can take paid leave to care for yourself during serious health conditions, like surgery, injury, a chronic condition, pregnancy, and childbirth, and other health needs certified by your provider.
For family leave, it covers bonding with a child through birth, adoption, or foster placement, caring for a family member with a serious health issue, supporting a military family member called for active duty, or responding to a safety issue, including domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, for you or a family member.
The law will provide up to 20 weeks of paid leave per year for eligible employees, including 12 weeks of personal medical leave and 12 weeks of family leave, both capped at 20 weeks total.
Recommended
Republicans in the state expressed concerns about oversight and the risk of fraud. Given the corruption and fraud that have happened under Walz's watch, those concerns are more than justified.
Back on November 19, KSTP reported on a hearing aimed at addressing fraud concerns:
“Can you share with the committee what fraud DEED is anticipating?” Rep. Isaac Schultz asked Evan Rowe, the assistant Commissioner of Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Other lawmakers on the House Fraud and State Agency Oversight Committee had more specific questions about how the program could be abused when people apply to care for a sick relative. “How do you verify that care is actually being provided and they’re not, as we had spoken in many hearings before, just going to Florida for vacation and not really taking care of anybody?”
“If you are taking leave for that care, the employer has a role in providing that information to us,” Rowe said. “As well as all the other kinds of reporting elements I walked through to that can help ensure program integrity.”
Row pointed to a fraud reporting portal on the program's website, thus proving Democrats still like snitch lines even five years after COVID.
Employers also expressed concerns. Troy Reding, a restaurant owner, worried how employers would deal with multiple workers out on leave simultaneously. "We are concerned with the mechanisms that will be in place at DEED to verify that an employee is appropriately caring for the designated individual on leave," Reding said.
"We are going to take those reports incredibly seriously," Rowe assured him.
Legislative Auditor Judy Randall expressed optimism about the program's fraud prevention measures. “Prevention is the most effective and the cheapest way to handle fraud," she said. "Putting the controls in place up front is by far the most effective way. It’s much better than pay-and-chase which is what we have found ourselves doing in some programs … There’s a lot of good things here, (but) the proof is in the pudding.”
Of course, when Minnesota Department of Human Services employees tried to alert Walz to fraud, he punished the whistleblowers. So, forgive us for being skeptical, especially if the fraudsters are from a certain migrant community, where employers and employees share the same cultural background.
Editor’s Note: Do you enjoy Townhall’s conservative reporting that takes on the radical left and woke media? Support our work so that we can continue to bring you the truth.
Join Townhall VIP and use the promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your VIP membership!
Join the conversation as a VIP Member