Washington, 26 February (H.S.): The Trump administration delivered a fiscal body blow to Minnesota, suspending $259 million in Medicaid reimbursements amid accusations of rampant fraud under Democratic Governor Tim Walz's watch, escalating a partisan showdown over federal welfare safeguards.Vice President JD Vance and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz unveiled the clampdown at a White House presser, lambasting Walz for lax oversight since a notorious COVID-era scandal where 47 individuals allegedly siphoned $250 million from child nutrition programs.

Vance vowed no resumption until a comprehensive corrective action plan materializes within 60 days, framing it as stewardship against Oz's cited $100 billion annual federal fraud hemorrhage.

Walz fired back on X, decrying retribution against blue states and warning devastation for vulnerable families, veterans, and disabled residents—echoing prior judicial rebukes of Trump's funding maneuvers as retaliatory. The duo also imposed a nationwide six-month moratorium on new durable medical equipment enrollments, targeting prosthetics and orthotics as fraud vectors, with vows of scrutiny for Florida, California, and New York.

Vance's war on fraud portfolio, bolstered by a new Justice Department fraud czar, signals broader salvos against perceived waste in immigrant-heavy social programs, intertwining fiscal rectitude with immigration crackdowns that already claimed two U.S. lives in Minnesota raids.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar