Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan talks fraud, ICE reform, and Medicare for All ahead of primary

(FOX 9) - FOX 9 has extended an invitation to all the candidates polling above 5% in both the Minnesota Governor and Senate primary races to appear on our All Day program for an interview. Last Friday, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan joined us as she makes a bid for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Her primary opponent, Rep. Angie Craig, appeared last week.

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on fraud and criticism of the Walz administration:

"Let’s say a couple of things. The first thing that I would say is that as the former executive director of a nonprofit that serves children and families, I am appalled by the fraud that has occurred. Minnesotans are upset about it. They’re angry and I am too. I can tell you that this administration has taken steps. There’s a new office of inspector general that was passed this last legislative session. We’ve added staff to the attorney general’s office to root out Medicaid fraud. And, there was an aggressive action of shutting down a program that was being utilized by criminals. I think more absolutely needs to be done. And I think our next governor also – I like her chances – Senator Amy Klobuchar will really take some strong stances here too. This issue of fraud is unacceptable, and there’s been work here. But what I also want to say is that Republicans are going to run against every Democrat on fraud, from Amy Klobuchar to Keith Ellison to the DFL legislators, because they don’t want to take accountability for Donald Trump and, frankly, everything that he’s done to make life unaffordable for Minnesotans. We’ve watched – frankly, he fired 17 inspectors general right out of the gate, whose entire job was to police fraud at the federal level. He pardoned 70 white-collar criminals, including one individual who stole over a billion dollars in Medicare and Medicaid fraud, and is making money hand over fist from the Oval Office in a crypto meme coin. I don’t think Republicans want to talk about that, and we’re going to take it to them in the fall."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on fraud response:

"I mean, I would say this: the attorney general’s office has been quite active in rooting out and going after fraud. And listen, 100 people have been charged, and they should be convicted. Aimee Bock, who is the ringleader of Feeding Our Future, has been sentenced to 41 years plus eight months, and I say good. If you are stealing taxpayer dollars for your own grift, you should be charged and prosecuted. That should be the expectation of Minnesotans. And we’ve seen that happen through the attorney general’s office. And, you know, this work is ongoing. And our state leaders are going to have to be clear now and into the future that they’ll need to stay two steps ahead of these criminals, who grow more and more sophisticated. And I think it is incredibly important that we are clear that these folks have been charged, they should be prosecuted, and that fraud of any kind is completely unacceptable. And I just, I think the governor has said that more should have been done sooner, and I agree with him. And now action is being taken, and that work will need to continue into the future."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on dismantling ICE and immigration reform:

"I want to say to folks that what we have experienced over the last year has been horrific. 3,000 ICE agents here in Minnesota who terrorized our neighbors. I think about our children who will now have an ACE score, an ‘adverse childhood experience’ score, simply because there were federal agents in their neighborhoods. And two Minnesotans were killed: Renee Good and Alex Pretti. ICE has been, you know, allowed to kill 11 people with impunity. That’s outrageous, and none of us should stand for it. I think we can have secure borders. And I also believe that we can have comprehensive immigration reform, which ensures that it is grounded in safety, dignity, and also ensuring that we have a pathway to citizenship for folks who are here, who are law-abiding and part of our community. We need an immigration system, but ICE itself has been horribly broken. And we see that the destruction to our economy, to our children here in Minnesota and across the country, is horrific. And I think this is actually one of the places where there’s a significant difference between me and my primary opponent, Congresswoman Craig, who voted for Donald Trump’s immigration bill, for the Laken Riley Act, three days into the second Trump administration, that stripped immigrants of due process and has allowed for indefinite detention of adults and children. She was the only Minnesota Democrat to do so. And then, when Trump was separating families and ICE was in the city of Los Angeles, literally waiting outside of schools after elementary school graduations, what we saw was them picking up family members. And I just have to say that her vote then to thank ICE, again as the only Minnesota Democrat to do so, is pretty out of step. And so I think we can have comprehensive immigration reform and secure borders. But I also think that we shouldn’t allow for indefinite detention, which I think, you know, without due process, which really I think is an affront to our Constitution."

Lt. Gov. Flanagan on Medicare for All and rural health care:

"I think it’s very realistic because what we are seeing right now is that individuals are paying an incredible amount of money for health insurance and not actually getting a lot of health care. As I’ve traveled across Minnesota, what I’ve heard from people is that they have $16,000 deductibles, $20,000 deductibles and are spending $600 for a five-minute med check. It is untenable for folks, and I think we can have a system that allows for people to have access to high-quality and affordable care. What I’d also say is, on the way there, I think we need to get rid of prior authorization because I don’t think that some dude behind a desk or, worse yet, an AI bot should be able to determine whether or not you get the life-saving health care that your doctor has prescribed. We can do better. Right now, people are paying a tremendous amount of money and not getting much for it. I think Medicare for All’s time has come, and people all across the state, and I would say in particular in Greater Minnesota, where folks have less access, fewer options, and we see rural clinics closing and even I talk to a lot of families who say, ‘I’m worried now that I don’t have access to maternity care and have to drive two hours, three hours to get in.’ We know babies famously come right on time, right? With no complications. Folks deserve better. And I think that this is one of the ways for us to get there. And we also have to restore the cuts to Medicaid that will have disastrous consequences for local economies all across Minnesota. You know, to remind people that those cuts were made in exchange for trillions of dollars in tax cuts for billionaires, while working, you know, families are being left behind. We can do so much."

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