Minnesota Democratic gubernatorial candidate Amy Klobuchar is facing criticism from her Republican opponent after a review of 1,000 press releases from her Senate office found no mention of Minnesota's sprawling social-services fraud scandal despite it emerging more than three years ago.

The $250 million Feeding Our Future scandal, which prosecutors say has ballooned into an overall social services fraud case that could total over $9 billion, broke in late January 2022. A Fox News Digital review of Klobuchar's official press-release archive from January 1, 2022 to December 31, 2025 found no release directly addressing or offering solutions to the scandal.

The review searched for terms including 'Feeding Our Future,' 'Minnesota fraud,' 'social services fraud,' 'Medicaid fraud,' 'Housing Stabilization Services,' and other related phrases. Klobuchar's office did issue press releases addressing other forms of fraud during that period, according to the review.

What the Right Is Saying

Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth, who is challenging Klobuchar for the governor's office, has made the senator's silence on the scandal a central line of attack in the race.

'As Feeding Our Future was breaking and all of the fraud that was being talked about, the absent voice that I was noticing was Senator Klobuchar,' Demuth told Fox News Digital in an interview. 'She with her extended time, twenty years as a senator, could have held hearings but not only did she not hold hearings, the hearing that took place a few months ago about fraud here in the state of Minnesota she didn't even attend.'

Demuth raised the issue during a speech this week where she released her own plan to fight fraud and criticized Klobuchar for what she called an inadequate response.

'Billions of our tax dollars stolen,' Demuth posted on X. 'It's time for change.'

The Republican challenger has questioned why Klobuchar did not hold press conferences or partner with Walz on the issue, noting that Klobuchar previously praised Walz as an 'exceptional governor' and 'great governor' during his vice presidential campaign.

'My question is, where were you for the last 10 years, but absolutely the last eight years?' Demuth said. 'She could have done press conferences, she could have partnered with Governor Walz... Where was she to help him where our state was falling apart? I think it's a little bit too late for her to say that this was really a priority.'

Republican Senate candidate Michele Tafoya has similarly argued that voters across party lines are motivated by the fraud scandal and 'ready for a change.' Demuth has highlighted her own efforts in the legislature, including establishing the Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee after becoming House Speaker in 2025.

What the Left Is Saying

Klobuchar has sought to make fraud a centerpiece of her gubernatorial campaign since announcing her run for governor. A campaign ad released earlier this month promises a state audit on her first day in office that will 'root out waste fraud and abuse.'

'It's time for results, not excuses,' Klobuchar posted on X.

The senator has pointed to her record as a federal prosecutor before entering the Senate, where she served 20 years before launching her gubernatorial bid. Supporters argue that addressing state-level social services fraud falls primarily under the executive branch's purview in Minnesota, and that Klobuchar would be positioned to act on those issues if elected governor rather than from her current role as a U.S. senator.

Progressive groups have noted that Klobuchar breezed through the Democratic primary and enters November as the favorite to replace Gov. Tim Walz, who dropped his re-election bid amid fallout from the scandal. Walz served as Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate in the 2024 election.

Democratic strategists argue that voters will evaluate candidates on their plans going forward rather than scrutinizing every press release from federal offices over a multi-year period.

What the Numbers Show

The Feeding Our Future fraud case began with approximately $250 million in alleged misuse of federal child nutrition funds through Minnesota nonprofits. Prosecutors have since expanded their investigation to what they describe as a broader social services scandal, with potential losses now estimated at over $9 billion across multiple state programs.

A review of Klobuchar's press release archive found no mentions of these terms between January 2022 and December 2025: Feeding Our Future, Minnesota fraud, social services fraud, Medicaid fraud, autism fraud, Housing Stabilization Services, child nutrition fraud, DHS fraud, or nonprofit fraud.

The governor's race is scheduled for November 2026. Klobuchar won the Democratic primary with a significant margin and enters the general election as the party's nominee against Demuth.

The Bottom Line

The controversy highlights a challenge facing Klobuchar as she transitions from federal to state politics: critics are examining her two decades of Senate work for evidence of engagement on issues now central to her gubernatorial campaign. Her campaign has not yet responded to requests for comment on why the fraud scandal was not addressed in official communications during that period.

For Demuth, the issue provides a concrete line of attack beyond general partisan messaging, allowing Republicans to argue that Klobuchar's recent focus on fraud represents political opportunism rather than genuine priority. The outcome may depend on whether voters view federal officeholders as responsible for raising state-level issues or prioritize candidates' plans over their prior records.

Fox News Digital reached out to Klobuchar's campaign for additional comment.