Guest Columnist Idaho Senator Brian Lenney: Idaho Taxpayers Deserve Better Than Minnesota’s Billion-Dollar Disaster

Minnesota just got caught in what investigators are calling one of the largest welfare fraud schemes in American history.

Billions of dollars in childcare subsidies stolen by foreigners while hardworking American families struggle to make ends meet.

But this isn’t just happening in Minnesota.

This fraud is rampant across the country wherever childcare subsidies lack proper oversight, and Idaho has the exact same structural weaknesses in our system that allowed billions to walk out the door in other states. We’re a target, and I refuse to sit around and wait to become the next cautionary tale.

That’s why I just sent a letter to the Idaho Department of Health and Human Services requesting an immediate pause on $14 million in new childcare appropriations until we can install proper fraud prevention measures.

I voted against Senate Bill 1206 during the 2025 session because it appropriated over $14 million in new childcare subsidies without adequate fraud prevention safeguards in place. The bill dumps money into building childcare supply through contracted spots, grants, and subgrants…

But it does nothing to ensure that money actually reaches legitimate providers serving real Idaho families.

Minnesota’s billion-dollar disaster proves exactly why proper safeguards matter before you start writing checks. This isn’t about stopping support for working families who need quality childcare, because those families deserve better than a system riddled with fraud that drives up costs and reduces access to legitimate providers.

The American worker gets up every day, pays their taxes, and expects their government to be a responsible steward of those hard-earned dollars.

This is what being America First is all about: putting Americans first (this shouldn’t even be controversial). But when fraudsters exploit weak oversight to steal millions or billions, it’s the working families who pay the price twice: once through their taxes and again when they can’t find affordable childcare because scammers have crowded out legitimate providers.

Good news though!

We have two former Idahoans now serving at the federal level who understand our systems inside and out. Former IDHW Director Alex Adams serves as Assistant Secretary for the Administration of Children and Families, and former Representative Wendy Horman will soon lead the Office of Child Care. We have an opportunity to get this right before we have a problem, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do.

Along with Representative Josh Tanner, I’ve requested that IDHW develop comprehensive fraud prevention measures, review past disbursements for potential fraud, and brief the Legislature on their plan before moving forward. We’ve asked for a response by January 10th.

Working families deserve a childcare system they can trust. Taxpayers deserve accountability. We’re going to deliver both.