Sen. John Barrasso delivered the following speech about the Medicaid fraud schemes in Minnesota. Watch the speech, below, or read his remarks, lightly edited.

When the government wastes even a dollar of your taxpayer money, you have a right to know what happened. When emboldened criminals steal money intended to help single moms and children in poverty, you have a right to be angry.

Americans are infuriated by the staggering fraud unfolding today in the state of Minnesota. The past few weeks have shown how deep the corruption has turned out to be.

Investigators have uncovered fraud schemes across 14 Minnesota Medicaid programs. Joe Thompson—U.S. Attorney in Minnesota—has spent his career prosecuting fraud. Based on his extensive investigation, he believes criminals have stolen at least $9 billion from those Minnesota Medicaid programs. That is half of the total amount of money Minnesota spends for Medicaid programs in that state.

Today, the fraud is so prevalent that Thompson says the state has “developed a fraud tourism industry.” Can you imagine such a thing? A “Fraud Tourism Industry.”

Here’s how these schemes work. Fraudsters set up fake businesses and nonprofit organizations. The criminals claim to provide services such as housing, food, and healthcare assistance. Then, they bill Medicaid for services they never provided. They enroll children in programs they don’t need. 

In 2021, taxpayers........

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