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A viral 42-minute video posted over the weekend by independent journalist Nick Shirley has thrown a bright, uncomfortable spotlight on Minnesota’s childcare system and the Walz administration’s failure to police it. Shirley’s crew visited multiple licensed daycare sites and alleges they found empty buildings collecting millions in taxpayer-funded Child Care Assistance Program payments. The footage has spread like wildfire, and Americans who pay the bills are rightly furious and demanding answers.
One of the most damning examples in Shirley’s report is the so-called Quality Learning Center, where Shirley points out a misspelled sign and says the facility appears inactive despite receiving what he claims are millions in state payments. Shirley and others estimate the video exposed more than $100 million in questionable disbursements and described the examples as the “tip of the iceberg” of statewide abuse. Whether every specific allegation holds up in court, the pattern Shirley documents is too convenient and widespread to ignore.
Minnesota state officials have predictably pushed back, insisting previous unannounced inspections found children present at the facilities and that no findings of fraud were uncovered in earlier checks; the Department of Children, Youth and Families now says it is rechecking the sites. Governor Walz’s office has also gone on the defensive, claiming he has worked for years to tighten oversight, hired outside auditors, and supported prosecutions while trying to close high-risk programs. Those statements sound fine in a press release, but competent governance requires prevention and real accountability — not reactive PR when a social media storm breaks.
Federal authorities are not sitting on their hands: the FBI and Homeland Security have reportedly surged personnel and resources into Minnesota after previous probes uncovered massive fraud in related programs, including the Feeding Our Future case that shook federal food-aid distribution. If federal investigators believe Minnesota contains sprawling, organized schemes siphoning off billions, that is a national scandal and a catastrophe for taxpayers who thought their dollars supported kids, not fraud. Minnesotans deserve a transparent, thorough federal-state accounting of how these funds were handled.
Republican lawmakers have wasted no time demanding answers, with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and state GOP leaders pressing Walz for a full accounting and accusing his administration of turning a blind eye even after warnings. State oversight committees have been flagging weaknesses in monitoring the Child Care Assistance Program for months, yet the problem appears to have metastasized under Democratic control. Complaints, audits and more press statements won’t satisfy hardworking families — they want prosecutions, clawbacks, and officials who will actually secure the taxpayers’ money.
The lesson for every honest Minnesotan and every patriot across the country is simple: big government programs without ironclad checks become theft machines. Governor Walz can talk about hiring auditors and launching investigations, but words don’t put money back into the wallets of those who earned it. Until there are arrests, recovered funds, and serious structural reforms — including better auditing, tighter eligibility verification, and clearer enforcement authority — the public should assume negligence at best and rot at worst. It’s time for courageous action, not more press conferences.
