Jim O'Neill

Starting today, we require a justification receipt or photo evidence before we make a payment.

Starting today, we require a justification receipt or photo evidence before we make a payment.

Hello.

I'm HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill.

I'm here with Assistant Secretary Alex Adams.

Alex oversees the Administration for Children and Families.

Intrepid journalists have made shocking and credible allegations of extensive fraud in Minnesota's child care programs.

We believe the state of Minnesota has allowed scammers and fake daycares to siphon millions of taxpayer dollars over the past decade.

Today, we have taken three direct actions against the blatant fraud that seems to be rampant in Minnesota.

First, I have activated our Defend the Spend system for all ACF child care payments across America.

Starting today, we require a justification receipt or photo evidence before we make a payment.

You can't expect the most important people in our lives to take either our children or our parents to get paid the least amount of money.

And we have to make it easier for folks to be able to get into that business and then to make sure that folks are able to pay for that.

But do you support the targeting of this one community or not?

I support the targeting of people engaged in fraud.

But do you support the targeting of the Somali American community as directed by the president?

Based on their ethnicity.

That's not what he said.

That's it.

That is precisely what he said.