House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is criticizing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's administration over the alleged fraud scandal there. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images; Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
U.S. attorneys have alleged that as much as $9 billion in state and federal funding could have fallen prey to fraud, an estimate that Walz and other state Democratic leaders have said is overblown.
Walz said during a press conference on Tuesday that he would not resign over the scandal, telling reporters when asked, "Over my dead body will that happen."
The enhanced media scrutiny did push Walz to drop his bid for a third term as governor, however.
Asked about his refusal to resign, Emmer said, "This guy has got to stop acting like a coward, and he's got to start taking accountability for the fact that he is completely incompetent, and perhaps even complicit, in one of the most breathtaking fraud examples that we've ever seen."
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz announced that he would not seek re-election on Jan. 5, 2026, at a press conference at the State Capitol in St. Paul. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last month it had charged six people for "participating in schemes to defraud the government in the Autism fraud scheme and the Housing Stabilization Services (HSS) fraud scheme."
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Federal prosecutors also charged multiple people last year with stealing more than $240 million from the Federal Child Nutrition Program through the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future.
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz's office for a response to Emmer's comments.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/emmer-warns-walz-could-end-up-in-cuffs-amid-minnesota-fraud-claims