Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, acknowledges the crowd after delivering his acceptance speech during the Democratic National Convention on Aug. 21, 2024, in Chicago.

As soon as Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris chose Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to be her vice presidential nominee in 2024, I gagged and shook my head. I grew up in Minnesota and had a lovely childhood there. It's filled with kind, hardworking people. Beautiful lakes dot the land, and winter can be magical (though long). It's still ranked one of the healthiest states to live in.

But I wouldn't live there now, even if Walz himself paid me millions to move back to the North Star State and personally escorted me to a cabin up north to reside.

Liberal ideology has gradually permeated Minnesota’s politics, policies and cultural landscape, pushing the state into a left-leaning decline. Marked by high taxes, misplaced priorities on how to handle crime and abortion until birth − a sure sign of cultural decay − progressive ideas have eroded its beauty and heritage from the inside out.

The newest possible scandal involving fraud that occurred under Walz's watch is one of many pertinent examples.

Under Tim Walz, fraud allegations are rampant in Minnesota

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced Dec. 1 that they are launching investigations into Walz’s possible role in a fraudulent program that bilked more than $1 billion from taxpayers, the New York Post reported.

Purportedly, some of the funding went to al-Shabaab, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist group in Somalia.

“Minnesota Governor Tim Walz was warned about massive fraud in a pandemic food-aid program for children, yet he failed to act. Instead, whistleblowers who raised concerns faced retaliation,” House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Kentucky, told the Post.

These investigations have been a long time coming. Minnesota’s Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic. Its goal was to offer Medicaid coverage to provide housing for folks in need at a cost to taxpayers of only about $2.5 million. But by 2025, costs had ballooned.

In July, acting federal prosecutor Joe Thompson announced that most of the HSS program was fraudulent. Since then, Thompson has charged dozens of people with criminal indictments.

President Donald Trump responded to the news on social media with a lengthy diatribe and an announcement that Temporary Protected Status would be revoked for all Minnesota Somali recipients.

To his credit, Gov. Walz supports an investigation into the matter, but it appears to have only been after these revealing stories were published and Minnesota GOP lawmakers pushed for inquiries.

This isn't the first time this kind of investigation has happened while Walz is governor. Nearly 80 people have already been charged in a $250 million scheme involving Feeding Our Future. Prosecutors said in March that they stole federal nutrition aid by claiming to hand out meals during the pandemic.

Walz's bleeding heart has bled Minnesota taxpayers dry

As governor, Walz bears responsibility for his state's programs and policies, and the way taxpayer dollars are spent. Unfortunately, his progressive policies and lazy governance have turned a beautiful place into a nightmare for residents. Even they know it.

“Minnesota Democrats rapidly advance the most progressive agenda in a generation,” a Minneapolis Star Tribune headline read after Walz was reelected in 2022.

Walz has been a disaster for Minnesotans, much like how Gov. Gavin Newsom has hurt California with his progressive agenda. In 2023, Minnesota's $18 billion surplus was spent on Walz's One Minnesota Budget, which funneled taxpayers' money into things like free college for those with "a family income under $80,000" a year.

No wonder Minnesota is one of the top 10 most taxed states in the country.

Socially, it's a mess. too. Minnesota is just one of only 10 states to have a law that allows a right to abortion at all stages of pregnancy.

The governor's bleeding heart for immigrants has also bled taxpayers dry. In 2019, Trump signed an executive order allowing state and local governments to halt the arrival of refugees, but Walz approved them happily. He went out of his way to accommodate them, too, approving programs that provide driver's licenses, free tuition at state universities and more to illegal migrants. This does a disservice to Minnesota's residents.

While Walz was running alongside Harris, the two were clear that this was the future they wanted for Americans − and their taxpayer dollars. It would have been a disaster in terms of economic and immigration policy. Thank goodness that Harris and Walz lost.

As for the growing list of fraud schemes accusations peppering Minnesota, maybe Walz should have been paying better attention to the best way to govern my home state, rather than spending his time running for vice president alongside an awful candidate. I guess the spotlight was too hard to resist − and now Minnesotans will bear the consequences.

Thankfully, the rest of us won't have to know what it's like to live with Walz in the White House. Disaster averted, indeed.

Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fraud accusations show America dodged a disastrous Tim Walz | Opinion

Reporting by Nicole Russell, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect