Tim Walz thought he could run from his failures.
But his past is catching up to him fast.
And Minnesota GOP lawmakers hit Tim Walz with one ultimatum that left him reeling.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz watched billions of taxpayer dollars vanish under his nose for years.
Republican state legislators finally had enough and drew a constitutional line in the sand.
State Senators Bill Lieske and Nathan Wesenberg joined State Representatives Marj Fogelman, Drew Roach, and Mike Wiener in formally demanding Walz resign.
"Leadership means doing the right thing even when it is difficult, which is why we are calling on Gov. Walz to resign," the lawmakers declared in a Monday statement.¹
The Republicans invoked Article 8, Section 6 of the Minnesota Constitution, which lists serious malfeasance in the performance of official duties as grounds for removing executive officers.
They stopped short of launching an official recall but made clear this constitutional standard justifies resignation.
Minnesota GOP lawmakers cite billions lost to fraud under Walz
The fraud scandal has exploded beyond anyone's worst nightmares.
Federal prosecutors revealed in December that up to $9 billion in taxpayer funds distributed through 14 state Medicaid programs may have been stolen since Walz took office in 2019.²
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said half or more of roughly $18 billion spent on these programs over the past six years could be fraudulent.³
"We are talking about billions of dollars in fraud that should have gone to vulnerable Minnesotans," the Republican lawmakers stated. "The red flags were everywhere. Yet, year after year, the fraud kept growing, and year after year, nothing changed."⁴
The most infamous scheme involved the nonprofit Feeding Our Future, where defendants allegedly stole $250 million from federal child nutrition programs meant to feed children during COVID-19.⁵
Instead of feeding hungry kids, fraudsters purchased luxury cars, waterfront properties, and took island vacations.
Federal investigators have charged 92 people connected to the fraud schemes, with 82 defendants being Somali Americans according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for Minnesota.⁶
The Republican lawmakers told constituents that fraud is the "number one" issue they hear about in their districts.
"They want to know why nobody is being held accountable. They want to know when somebody is going to fix it. And they want to know why the governor isn't resigning," the statement continued.⁷
Viral video exposes empty daycare centers receiving millions
The resignation call came days after independent journalist Nick Shirley posted a 42-minute video documenting supposedly fraudulent daycare centers in Minneapolis.
The video exploded across social media, racking up over 100 million views on X alone.⁸
Shirley's footage showed the Quality Learning Center – which misspelled "learning" as "learing" on its sign – appearing completely abandoned during a weekday.
State records revealed the center received $1.9 million in 2025 from Minnesota's Child Care Assistance Program despite appearing inactive.⁹
The video caught fire in conservative media circles and prompted responses from top Trump administration officials.
FBI Director Kash Patel called previous fraud arrests in Minnesota "just the tip of a very large iceberg" and announced the bureau had surged personnel and resources to investigate.¹⁰
Education Secretary Linda McMahon blasted Walz directly on social media.
"One fraudulent business in Minnesota that misspelled 'learning' on its building received $1.9M this year while masquerading as a daycare," McMahon wrote. "There are not enough words to describe the breathtaking failure that has happened under the watch of @GovTimWalz."¹¹
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced DHS agents are "conducting a massive investigation on childcare and other rampant fraud" in Minneapolis.¹²
Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler cut off all grants to Minnesota citing the ongoing fraud concerns.
The walls are closing in on Walz from every direction – federal investigators, Trump administration officials, and now his own state's Republican legislators.
Walz's office scrambled to deflect blame, claiming he has worked for "years to crack down on fraud" and asking the state legislature for more authority.¹³
But the Republican lawmakers aren't buying it.
"What we are seeing from the governor is what nonfeasance looks like," they wrote. "When a governor fails to do what he is required to do, when he watches a crisis spiral out of control and does nothing to stop it, that is nonfeasance."¹⁴
The governor had every tool at his disposal to stop this fraud epidemic.
State agencies reported red flags about Feeding Our Future as early as 2020, but officials failed to intervene.
Whistleblowers within the Department of Human Services alleged the agency deleted data and withheld records to cover up fraud.¹⁵
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer launched a congressional investigation asking what Walz knew about the fraud and whether he took action to halt investigations.¹⁶
"For the good of the state, Gov. Walz should step aside," the Republican lawmakers concluded. "Minnesota needs accountability, a reset, and new leadership that can get us back on the right track."¹⁷
Walz is running for a third term in 2026 after his national humiliation as Kamala Harris's running mate.
But this scandal isn't going away.
FBI investigations are accelerating, federal prosecutors keep filing new charges, and GOP lawmakers are calling for his head using the state constitution itself.
Walz can keep making excuses about needing more authority or blame the legislature.
But Minnesotans know the truth – $9 billion in taxpayer money vanished on his watch while he did nothing to stop it.
¹ Andrew Mark Miller, "Minnesota GOP lawmakers cite Constitution in call for Walz to resign over fraud crisis," Fox News, December 29, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Ibid.
⁴ Ibid.
⁵ Jo Yurcaba and Anna Betts, "What to know about Minnesota's 'industrial-scale fraud' scandal, as more charges are filed and Trump weighs in," CBS News, December 16, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News.
⁸ Brendan Rascius, "Man behind viral Minnesota 'daycare fraud' video sends message to Trump," Newsweek, December 30, 2025.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Katie Koenig, "What is the Minnesota social aid fraud scandal about?" NewsNation, December 29, 2025.
¹¹ Brendan Rascius, Newsweek.
¹² Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News.
¹³ Ibid.
¹⁴ Ibid.
¹⁵ James Comer, "Comer Expands Investigation Into Widespread Fraud Uncovered in Minnesota Government Programs," House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, December 22, 2025.
¹⁶ James Comer, "Chairman Comer Launches Investigation into Massive Fraud in Minnesota's Social Services System on Governor Walz's Watch," House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, December 4, 2025.
¹⁷ Andrew Mark Miller, Fox News.