By Nick Smith
Gongwer News Service
The Senate’s minority leader is asking the Office of the Auditor General to conduct an audit of Michigan’s child care program following recent reports of fraud in Minnesota.
While also citing past large-scale insurance fraud perpetrated through claims to the Unemployment Insurance Agency in recent years, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said an audit of the child care program is necessary.
Specifically, Nesbitt in a letter sent last Friday to Auditor General Doug Ringler requested an audit be conducted of the Child Development and Care Program operated by the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential.
“This program, which is intended to assist low-income families with the cost of child care, is receiving over $540 million in taxpayer support this year,” Nesbitt wrote.
The request comes following recent reports of alleged fraud over the use of federal child care funds in Minnesota, of which several of those alleged of fraud are Somali.
President Donald Trump’s administration alleged that there has been widespread fraud within the Minnesota child care program, citing evidence from a conservative online influencer. The administration has demanded information on federal grant recipients in the Minnesota fraud allegations or risk losing federal funding.
The state has since said subsequent inspections showed no operational issues at the centers that the influencer had highlighted in his video alleging fraud. Some of the centers are still the focus of ongoing investigations.
“The lack of affordable child care is one of the greatest challenges facing families in Michigan,” Nesbitt wrote. “As such, every tax dollar lost to fraud or waste makes it even more difficult for law-abiding Michiganders to get the child care they need.”
MiLEAP spokesperson Camara Lewis in a statement said the state’s child care programs are subject to regular oversight and yearly audits and set procedures are followed to prevent suspected fraud of abuse of funds.
“The department will take strong action against anyone who tries to abuse funds meant to support families,” Lewis said. “We take our responsibility to Michigan taxpayers and families seriously and continuously work to strengthen programs while supporting child care providers who serve children across the state. Our focus remains on protecting children, supporting working families and ensuring public resources are used effectively to meet the needs of Michigan’s children.”
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel bashed Nesbitt’s move in a Monday statement, accusing the senator of trying to “distract from his disastrous track record of making it harder for parents to get affordable child care.”
“Nesbitt voted against the state budget that expanded free pre-k access across the state, against increasing the Michigan Working Families Tax Credit, and he’s celebrated the Republican cuts to health care and food assistance that are costing Michiganders thousands of dollars,” Hertel said. “It’s obvious he doesn’t actually care about heling middle-class families – he only cares about his own partisan politics.”
Gongwer News Service
The Senate’s minority leader is asking the Office of the Auditor General to conduct an audit of Michigan’s child care program following recent reports of fraud in Minnesota.
While also citing past large-scale insurance fraud perpetrated through claims to the Unemployment Insurance Agency in recent years, Senate Minority Leader Aric Nesbitt, R-Porter Township, said an audit of the child care program is necessary.
Specifically, Nesbitt in a letter sent last Friday to Auditor General Doug Ringler requested an audit be conducted of the Child Development and Care Program operated by the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential.
“This program, which is intended to assist low-income families with the cost of child care, is receiving over $540 million in taxpayer support this year,” Nesbitt wrote.
The request comes following recent reports of alleged fraud over the use of federal child care funds in Minnesota, of which several of those alleged of fraud are Somali.
President Donald Trump’s administration alleged that there has been widespread fraud within the Minnesota child care program, citing evidence from a conservative online influencer. The administration has demanded information on federal grant recipients in the Minnesota fraud allegations or risk losing federal funding.
The state has since said subsequent inspections showed no operational issues at the centers that the influencer had highlighted in his video alleging fraud. Some of the centers are still the focus of ongoing investigations.
“The lack of affordable child care is one of the greatest challenges facing families in Michigan,” Nesbitt wrote. “As such, every tax dollar lost to fraud or waste makes it even more difficult for law-abiding Michiganders to get the child care they need.”
MiLEAP spokesperson Camara Lewis in a statement said the state’s child care programs are subject to regular oversight and yearly audits and set procedures are followed to prevent suspected fraud of abuse of funds.
“The department will take strong action against anyone who tries to abuse funds meant to support families,” Lewis said. “We take our responsibility to Michigan taxpayers and families seriously and continuously work to strengthen programs while supporting child care providers who serve children across the state. Our focus remains on protecting children, supporting working families and ensuring public resources are used effectively to meet the needs of Michigan’s children.”
Michigan Democratic Party Chair Curtis Hertel bashed Nesbitt’s move in a Monday statement, accusing the senator of trying to “distract from his disastrous track record of making it harder for parents to get affordable child care.”
“Nesbitt voted against the state budget that expanded free pre-k access across the state, against increasing the Michigan Working Families Tax Credit, and he’s celebrated the Republican cuts to health care and food assistance that are costing Michiganders thousands of dollars,” Hertel said. “It’s obvious he doesn’t actually care about heling middle-class families – he only cares about his own partisan politics.”
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