VP Vance Says Tim Walz Should Resign Over Massive Minnesota Welfare Fraud Scandal
Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Minnesotaโs massive fraud scandal is not an isolated failure but part of a broader, nationwide scheme exploiting Americaโs welfare system โ a problem the Trump administration says it is now aggressively moving to confront.
Speaking on โJesse Watters Primetime,โ Vance said the administration believes a large-scale fraud ring involving illegal aliens and other bad actors has been siphoning billions of taxpayer dollars through government assistance programs.
โAnybody who is involved is going to get prosecuted,โ Vance vowed on โJesse Watters Primetimeโ Wednesday.
The vice presidentโs remarks come as the Trump administration announced it is pausing more than $10 billion in federal funding to five Democrat-run states, including California, amid concerns that taxpayer money was improperly distributed to noncitizens and fraudulent operations. Administration officials say the funding pause is meant to prevent further abuse while investigations are underway.
Minnesota at the Center of the Storm
At the heart of the controversy is Minnesota, where investigators estimate that fraud tied to state-administered programs could total at least $9 billion, making it one of the largest public assistance scandals in U.S. history. The scandal involves complex networks that allegedly used shell organizations, fake documentation, and weak oversight to drain funds intended for vulnerable Americans.
Vance did not mince words when asked whether Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz โ who announced Monday that he will not seek re-election โ should step down immediately.
โI think Tim Walz should resign,โ Vance told Fox News host Jesse Watters. โI almost feel bad for the guy, except for the fact that he shouldโve seen this.โ
Calling the situation a โmassive failure of government,โ Vance said the problem goes far beyond individual cases of improper benefits.
โItโs not just that people are getting welfare who shouldnโt get welfare. โฆ Itโs bigger than that,โ Vance said. โItโs that people take this money and create whole businesses around siphoning money from the American taxpayer.โ
Watch:
Calls for Accountability Grow
Vanceโs comments echo calls from multiple Republican lawmakers and state officials who have argued that Walzโs administration ignored repeated warning signs, failed to enforce basic safeguards, and allowed fraud to spiral out of control. Several have publicly demanded Walz resign immediately, saying Minnesotans deserve accountability and transparency after years of mismanagement.
The vice president also warned that Minnesota may only be the beginning.
The vice president predicted similar cases of fraud will be found in other places around the country.
California Under Scrutiny
Vance specifically pointed to California, accusing state leaders of openly extending welfare benefits to illegal aliens and daring the federal government to intervene.
He went on to accuse California of being โglaring and obvious about the fact they are giving welfare benefits to illegal aliens,โ adding the Trump administration is sending investigators to โa lot of places.โ
In response, Gov. Gavin Newsomโs office pushed back, defending the stateโs programs and criticizing the administrationโs decision to freeze funding.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Newsomโs office said the California Department of Social Services administers childcare and other essential programs that allow working families to โafford safe, reliable care so parents can go to work, support their families and contribute to their communities.โ
โThese funds are not optional. They are critical lifelines for working families across California,โ the office said. โThe State of California aggressively investigates and prosecutes fraud. Using unsupported allegations to withhold childcare funding only from states that didnโt vote for the President doesnโt stop fraud โ it harms struggling moms and dads President Trump claims to be fighting for.โ
A Broader Reckoning
Trump administration officials argue that the funding pauses and investigations are long overdue and necessary to protect American taxpayers, restore integrity to public assistance programs, and ensure aid goes to citizens and lawful residents who truly need it.

















VP Vance Predicts โDumbestโ Democrat Candidate Will Secure Nomination In 2028
Vice President JD Vance took aim at the Democratic Partyโs likely 2028 presidential contenders during a lighthearted but pointed exchange on Fox News, joking that the partyโs โdumbestโ candidate is most likely to emerge from the primary.
In an exclusive interview released Wednesday on Jesse Watters Primetime, Watters raised speculation about California Gov. Gavin Newsomโs national ambitions, noting the governorโs frequent media appearances and rumored White House aspirations.
โGavin Newsom, obviously, is running for president. Have you seen this guy cross his legs? Have you ever seen anyone cross their legs like that?โ Watters asked jokingly.
โMy legs donโt cross like that, Jesse,โ Vance replied with a laugh. โYou can interpret that however you want to.โ
Watters went on to frame the looming Democratic contest as a showdown between Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris.
โGavin and Kamala are on a collision course,โ Watters said. โWhoโs gonna win?โ
โThe dumbest candidate will probably win,โ Vance quipped. โThatโs my guess with the Democratic Party.โ
Vance argued that the current Democratic bench reflects deeper structural problems within the party, particularly its fixation on identity politics over competence.
โI mean, look, the Democrats have a couple of big issues, and one is that they lean so far into wokeism that they canโt see the obviousness of the fact, which is that Kamala Harris is not qualified to be president of the United States,โ Vance said.
โThatโs why she got the vice presidential nomination. Thatโs why she got the presidential nomination. This is who Kamala Harris is.โ
Vance contrasted Harris with Newsom, describing the California governor as emblematic of failed progressive governance.
โNow, the flip side is, I think you have an unbelievably corrupt and incompetent governor in Gavin Newsom,โ he said. โThe fact that those are the two frontrunners just suggests how deeply deranged the Democrat Party is. Let them fight it out. Weโll figure it out.โ
A Weak Democratic Bench for 2028
While Newsom and Harris dominate early speculation, Democrats face a thin and fractured 2028 field. Other frequently mentioned names include Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezโeach of whom carries significant liabilities with general-election voters. Many Democrats privately acknowledge that the party lacks a unifying figure with broad national appeal, particularly as voters continue to recoil from progressive economic and cultural policies.
Republicans, by contrast, are positioning themselves as the party of stability, affordability, and public safety heading into the next election cycle.
Cost of Living and Accountability
Watters noted that Democrats are expected to campaign heavily on cost-of-living issues in upcoming elections, a strategy Vance dismissed as deeply hypocritical.
โThatโs a pot-meet-kettle situation,โ Vance argued, pointing to Democratic-led policies that fueled inflation, higher energy costs, and housing shortages.
He credited the Trump administration with reversing those trends.
โWe havenโt even been in office for a year, and youโve already seen prices start to come down. Youโve seen rents start to come down. Youโve seen groceries leveling off,โ Vance said.
โIs there more work to do? Absolutely. But the people who are going to do that work is the Trump administration, is the president of the United States, who is solving the Democratsโ affordability crisis.โ
โYou donโt give power back to the very people who set the house on fire,โ he added. โYou give more power to the person who put the fire out.โ
Impeachment Politics
When asked whether Democrats would attempt to impeach President Trump again if they regain control of Congress, Vance said such a move would be predictableโand revealing.
โIโm sure heโll get impeached,โ Vance said. โLook, they have nothing to actually run on or govern on.โ
โTheir entire obsessive focus of that party is they hate Donald Trump,โ he continued. โSo, if they ever get power, are they going to lower Americansโ taxes? No. Are they going to make your life more affordable? No. Are they going to solve the crime crisis? No.โ
โWhat theyโre going to do is theyโre going to spend all their time and all of your money trying to get Donald Trump.โ
Vance urged voters to focus on results rather than partisan theatrics.
โI think the American people should vote for the people who want to make their life more affordable, who want to make their neighborhoods safer,โ he said. โThatโs what weโre trying to deliver every single day.โ
Newsom Responds With a Meme
Newsomโs office responded to the interview with a digitally altered image of Vance crossing his legs in an exaggerated pose, captioned: โWe all know JD copies Daddy.โ
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