Fox News’ The Five didn’t hold back when they roasted Gov. Tim Walz over his tepid response to the Minnesota daycare fraud uproar, and Americans watching should be angry, not surprised. The panel ripped into the excuses while millions of hardworking taxpayers see footage that looks like organized theft right under the state’s nose. Conservatives across the country are rightly demanding accountability instead of platitudes from a governor more interested in optics than results.
The outrage all stems from a 42-minute video posted by independent journalist Nick Shirley that walks viewers through multiple childcare centers that appear inactive while still billing state programs for full services. The footage — which includes visits to a Minneapolis location and other sites — shows parents signing children in and immediately taking them away, a pattern that screams fraud when matched with state reimbursements. This is not a one-off embarrassment; it’s evidence pointing to an organized abuse of public funds that should alarm every voter who pays taxes.
Local reporting and resurfaced surveillance from past investigations show the same playbook in action: sham check-ins, phantom attendance, and kickbacks to parents who “participate.” Journalists and investigators now say this could be part of a scheme that has siphoned off billions from programs meant to help kids and vulnerable people, and that scope demands a federal and state response that actually changes behavior. Minnesotans deserve to know how deep this goes and to see those responsible prosecuted, not protected.
When pressed, Walz’s office trotted out a familiar playbook — promise audits, hire outside firms, and point to closures of a handful of programs — while insisting the governor has “worked for years” to crack down on fraud. Those announcements are not enough; talk of audits after the fact looks like damage control, not competent governance. If Walz truly cared about protecting taxpayers, he would have delivered proactive oversight long before a viral video forced the issue.
Managers of centers named in the footage have predictably pushed back, claiming the videos misrepresent operating hours and unfairly stigmatize communities, but those defenses don’t erase the visuals or the documented billing patterns. Protecting small businesses and immigrant communities is noble — but protecting fraud and turning a blind eye to theft of public dollars is betrayal. There must be a fair, transparent investigation that separates legitimate providers from criminals who used kids and taxpayer programs as a cover.
Enough with the hand-wringing. Lawmakers need to strip funding from programs that lack real-time accountability, empower aggressive audits, and move quickly to prosecute and deport non-citizens who commit large-scale fraud. Political theater and press releases won’t bring money back to classrooms or safety to seniors; only vigorous enforcement and political courage will. The Five did what journalists should do — call out failure and demand action — and conservative Americans should keep up the pressure until Minnesota delivers justice and restores integrity to the system.
