参议员比尔·卡西迪将欺诈调查范围从明尼苏达州扩大至3个民主党州
亚历克斯·米勒
福克斯新闻
2026年3月17日美国东部时间上午8:29发布
福克斯独家消息：一名参议院共和党人正在扩大其儿童保育欺诈调查，调查范围从明尼苏达州扩展至其他几个蓝州。
参议院卫生、教育、劳工和养老金委员会（HELP）主席、来自路易斯安那州的共和党人比尔·卡西迪（Bill Cassidy）正在扩大对欺诈行为的打击范围，将纽约州、密歇根州和俄勒冈州纳入调查。
卡西迪最初发起此次欺诈调查，针对明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹（Tim Walz），并要求这位前副总统候选人提供一系列与儿童保育相关的赠款和联邦资金的收据，这些资金是明尼苏达州欺诈丑闻的核心。
[‘冰山一角’：参议院共和党人就明尼苏达州欺诈丑闻向州长瓦尔兹施压]
[图：来自路易斯安那州的参议员比尔·卡西迪在今年早些时候针对明尼苏达州后，正将儿童保育欺诈调查扩大到更多蓝州。]（Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images）
现在，卡西迪致信民主党州长凯西·霍楚尔（Kathy Hochul）、格雷琴·惠特默（Gretchen Whitmer）和蒂娜·科特克（Tina Kotek），首次获得《福克斯新闻数字版》的消息，卡西迪指控他们各自的州在州管理的儿童保育援助项目中，不规范付款率位居全国前列或曾位居前列。
“如此规模的错误率引发了对欺诈预防以及这些项目旨在服务的家庭能否获得儿童保育服务的重大担忧，并凸显了加强项目监督、改进内部控制以及提高这些项目管理透明度的必要性，”卡西迪在致每位州长的信中写道。
卡西迪援引美国卫生与公众服务部的数据指出，纽约州在2024财年的付款错误率超过17%，密歇根州在2025财年的错误率超过12%，俄勒冈州在2024财年的错误率超过35%。
[参议院共和党人在明尼苏达州欺诈丑闻中推动驱逐和剥夺欺诈者公民身份]
[图：明尼苏达州州长蒂姆·瓦尔兹在明尼苏达州发表讲话]（Alex Kormann/Getty Images）
卡西迪要求各州州长提供与瓦尔兹相同的收据，例如各州多久对接收联邦资金的儿童保育机构进行一次现场检查、检查或调查访问。他给了每位州长直到3月30日的期限来回应。
他的要求包括各州在2016财年至2025财年期间的不规范付款率历史记录，以及对任何重大变化的解释。
[严厉审计揭示明尼苏达州顶级机构内更多欺诈担忧，存在伪造文件、’不当行为’]
他询问自2016年以来各州已制定了哪些反欺诈措施，以及防止欺诈、核实资格并确保付款与实际提供的服务相符的行动计划。
这位议员还要求提供联邦资金的使用情况、各州如何核实儿童保育提供者并监督获得补贴的机构，以及自2016年以来进行的审计和调查的详细信息，包括是否发现欺诈或不规范付款。
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“确保儿童保育援助项目的完整性不仅对保护纳税人资金至关重要，而且对维持公众对旨在支持儿童和家庭的项目的信心也至关重要，”卡西迪写道。
亚历克斯·米勒是《福克斯新闻数字版》报道美国参议院的记者。
Senate Republican expands childcare fraud crackdown to more blue states
Sen Bill Cassidy widens fraud hunt beyond Minnesota to include 3 Democratic states
By Alex Miller
Fox News
Published March 17, 2026 8:29am EDT
FIRST ON FOX: A Senate Republican is expanding his childcare fraud investigation, going beyond Minnesota and into several other blue states.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., is widening the net of his crackdown on fraud to include New York, Michigan and Oregon.
Cassidy initially launched his fraud hunt to target Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and demanded the former vice presidential candidate provide receipts for a litany of childcare-related grants and federal funding that were at the heart of the Minnesota fraud scandal.
[‘TIP OF THE ICEBERG’: SENATE REPUBLICANS PRESS GOV WALZ OVER MINNESOTA FRAUD SCANDAL]
Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., is expanding his childcare fraud investigation into several more blue states after targeting Minnesota earlier this year.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Now, in letters to Democratic Govs. Kathy Hochul, Gretchen Whitmer and Tina Kotek, first obtained by Fox News Digital, Cassidy charged that their respective states lead or have led the nation in improper payments in state-administered childcare assistance programs.
“Error rates of this magnitude raise significant concerns about both fraud prevention and access to child care for the families these programs are intended to serve and highlight the need for strengthened program monitoring, improved internal controls, and greater transparency in how these programs are administered,” Cassidy wrote to each governor.
Citing Department of Health and Human Services data, Cassidy noted that New York had a payment error rate of over 17% in fiscal year 2024, Michigan’s rate was over 12% in fiscal year 2025, and Oregon had an error rate of over 35% in fiscal year 2024.
[SENATE REPUBLICANS PUSH TO DEPORT, DENATURALIZE FRAUDSTERS AMID MINNESOTA SCANDAL]
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks in Minnesota.(Alex Kormann/Getty Images)
Cassidy demanded similar receipts from each governor as he did from Walz, such as how often the state conducted on-site monitoring, inspections or investigative visits to childcare facilities that received federal dollars. He gave each governor until March 30 to respond.
Among his demands were a history of each state’s improper payment rates between fiscal years 2016 and 2025 and explanations for any significant changes.
[SCATHING AUDIT REVEALS MORE FRAUD CONCERNS INSIDE TOP MINNESOTA AGENCY WITH FABRICATED DOCUMENTS, ‘MISCONDUCT’]
He asked what kind of anti-fraud measures have been enacted since 2016, as well as action plans to prevent fraud, verify eligibility and ensure payments align with actual services provided.
The lawmaker also requested information on how federal funding is being used, how the states are verifying childcare providers and monitoring those that receive subsidies, and details on audits and investigations conducted since 2016, including whether fraud or improper payments were found.
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“Ensuring the integrity of child care assistance programs is critical not only for protecting taxpayer dollars, but also for maintaining public confidence in programs designed to support children and families,” Cassidy wrote.
Alex Miller is a writer for Fox News Digital covering the U.S. Senate.
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