U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) has called on Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison to address how fraudulent activities were able to occur and remain unpunished in Minnesota. Ernst also presented her January Squeal Award to Governor Tim Walz, criticizing the administration for permitting taxpayer funds to be lost to scams.
Ernst raised concerns about public funds being diverted into fraudulent operations and reminded Ellison of his earlier statement that Minnesota had “done enough,” despite reports indicating over $9 billion in tax dollars were lost due to fraud schemes in the state.
“What we need is your governor then to step up to the plate and any crime that needs to be prosecuted, it needs to be done. The American taxpayer is tired of their dollars being funneled out of their pockets into scammers’ pockets,” said Ernst.
In response to these issues, Ernst has worked on legislation aimed at preventing fraud by addressing loopholes that allowed such schemes in Minnesota. She was selected earlier this year to lead a group of bills designed to prevent similar incidents from happening elsewhere.
Senator Ernst’s office provides constituent services, including casework and support with federal agencies, as detailed on her official website. She leads the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship and serves on several other committees, such as Armed Services, Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, and Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (source). Her representation covers all of Iowa, where she became the first woman from the state elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014 and is recognized as the first female combat veteran in that chamber (source).
