Congresswoman says Trump administration playing politics with families, farms

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(The Center Square) – A Minnesota congresswoman says the Trump administration is playing politics and hurting Minnesota families after it decided to stop nearly $130 million in federal funding following massive fraud allegations.

Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., said on social media that people who commit fraud should be held accountable, but the funding freeze established by the United States Department of Agriculture needs to be stopped.

“Make no mistake, we must take any fraud in our state seriously – and hold the perpetrators accountable,” Craig wrote on social media. “But this move by Trump and Rollins only hurts Minnesota families and family farmers. The Trump administration needs to stop playing politics with Minnesotans and reverse this policy.”

Craig’s comments came after Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent a letter to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Friday that said the USDA suspended all payments, active awards and future awards for the state and the city of Minneapolis.

Both Waltz and Frey have been critical of President Donald Trump over the past year, and more so in the past weeks.

Last week, an agent of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement shot and killed a Minneapolis woman Federal officials say she was trying to run over the agent with her car. Both Walz and Frey have said the federal government’s account of the shooting was wrong.

Those frozen funds total $129.19 million, and Rollins demanded justification for all federal dollars spent from Jan. 20, 2025, to the present.

Also, she said all future money sent to the state or the city would require payment justification.

“While the full extent of fraud in Minnesota is not yet known, it is clear that, under your leadership or lack thereof, fraudsters can take advantage of federal funds and the American taxpayer with impunity,” Rollins wrote in her letter. "This necessitates federal action to protect taxpayer dollars until adequate safeguards can be established."

Rollins said the Walz administration has refused to supply the USDA with information to verify Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program roles. Rollins said the ongoing investigation of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future defrauded federal taxpayers of nearly $250 million.

In the investigation, 78 people have been charged. Federal authorities have called this the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the country.