HHS freezes child care payments to Minnesota

[applegrove]

HHS freezes child care payments to Minnesota, requires photo evidence across country

by Max Rego - 12/30/25 6:17 PM ET

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/5667412-federal-probe-minnesota-fraud/

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is pausing all child care payments to Minnesota, amid a sweeping federal probe into allegations of fraud within the state’s social services programs.

Citing a video released Friday by independent journalist Nick Shirley detailing his investigation into day care centers and other businesses, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill said Tuesday on the social platform X that the move is necessary amid “blatant fraud that appears to be rampant in Minnesota.”

In fiscal 2024, the federal government provided more than $172 million to Minnesota’s Child Care and Development Fund, according to the state’s Department of Children, Youth and Families. The department noted that Minnesota spent more than $31 million of that funding to “improve the quality and availability of child care” last fiscal year.

O’Neill added that he has demanded an audit on the day care centers highlighted in Shirley’s video from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D), including attendance records licenses, complaints, investigations and inspections.

[bluestarone]

1. I trust Walz 100%

Please tell me this person is a big time trouble maker.

[applegrove]

2. I think Shirley is faking part of the story he told.

[newdeal2]

6. Sounds like another O'Keefe-type

Slick editing to mislead people and give RW politicians the ammo they want, facts be damned. The actual investigation will probably show very little to back up these claims, but by then the damage is done.

[applegrove]

7. Exactly. I think it was CBS, yes CBS, that debunked

some of what Shirley claimed.

[mzmolly]

14. I agree.

Acorn 2.0. https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2013-mar-07-la-me-0308-acorn-20130308-story.html yet network 'news' will lap up the BS until the damage is done.

[Wiz Imp]

10. I know Shirley is faking almost the entirety of the story he told

[Wiz Imp]

13. This is his previous big "expose"

It was 100% false and when called on it he claimed it was "satire".

&t=4s

Post by @david.heath.writer

View on Threads

/video-heres-nick-shirley-being-called-out-for-making-a-dishonest-and-amateurish-video
Here's Nick Shirley being called out for making a dishonest and amateurish video claiming US aid to Ukraine was being spent on luxury cars.
When pressed he called the video satire.

[NickB79]

3. The state investigated the centers on Monday

https://www.kare11.com/article/news/investigations/fraud/state-commissioner-responds-to-viral-youtuber-video-about-somali-daycare-fraud-in-minneapolis/89-584197c2-d750-4261-a2d1-cf4c9a88a2fb

Commissioner Brown says inspectors went out Monday to double-check that children, in fact, are present at the daycares highlighted in Shirley's video. The federal Department of Homeland Security was also checking those businesses in Minneapolis.

snip

She says a state inspector visited each of the daycares featured in Shirley's video within the last six months and that there were children present.

Brown confirmed that the daycares in Shirley's video have active licenses with the state and continue receiving payments.

[applegrove]

4. Thanks.

[Takket]

5. They are just doing this to make Somalis and Walz look bad... another rascism driven invented scandal.

once again drumpf's government is not pursuing investigations into actual persons accused of illegal activity but rather making everyone prove their innocence.

[orangecrush]

11. Exactly

And CBS was pumping it for all they are worth.

Total bullshit.

[senseandsensibility]

8. Whitney Wild, who is a very long term reporter for CNN did several puff pieces on this individual today

She seems harried and desperate to defend him. The last one I saw she said this person showed up at the childcare facility this afternoon and she seemed to be in awe of him. She admitted hurriedly that she saw children there, which he claimed were not there, but in the next breath said that the REAL story was that this RW "influencer" showed up at the facility. I mean, CNN reporters are now in awe of RW influencers and not embarrassed to show it on air? The topic is trending on bluesky if you want to know the facts.

[DET]

16. CNN Has No Standards Anymore

CNN has been shamelessly plugging this story today, without questioning its veracity at all. They’re making a hero out of this kid, who sounds like a complete idiot if you listen to him.

[Wiz Imp]

9. Nick Shirley is NOT an "independent journalist"

He's a lying sack of shit.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DS4FFf1jZcf/
dewforpolitics

A viral video by right-wing influencer Nick Shirley didn’t expose new fraud—it recycled old, previously investigated claims. The Minnesota Star Tribune reports the childcare centers had already been inspected, no payments were paused, and the “$100M” figure was earlier examined and found unsupported. Shirley, a former Mormon missionary, has a record of misleading content later dismissed as “satire,” including a Ukraine video falsely implying U.S. tax dollars funded luxury projects and content praising a Jan. 6 rioter. This wasn’t journalism—it was click-driven political theater.

https://www.startribune.com/viral-video-prompts-new-scrutiny-of-alleged-fraud-and-draws-quick-reaction-from-mn-regulators/601554058?utm_source=gift

Link to tweet

?s=46

I see this slop picking up a ton of attention. And while I have a bunch of questions about a lot of the shoddy """journalism""" that was done for the video, here's an easy, quick question to demonstrate how bad faith the video was done -
@nickshirleyy
, why did you visit a place of business and not show the sign posted on the door that showed the hours of operation? Is it because it would have shown that you showed up a full hour before it even opened?

Images 1-2: A fan of mine drove to the business and took a photo of the posted sign you tried to hide, and it clearly stated the hours of operation were 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM.

Image 3: This is a photo of the phone screen of the lady who answers the door at the next place you visit. The time listed on the phone is 1:09 PM. This happens at 22:20 in the video.

Image 4: The next photo is the time being listed as 2:33 PM for the next place you visit. This happens at 33:08 in the video.

[orangecrush]

12. Thanks for this

[Seeking Serenity]

15. I sense a well-worn pattern developing.

1. It's not happening, and the story is completely fabricated. (We are here)
2. It may be happening but it's not that big of a deal.
3. It's happening, but here's why it's actually a good thing.
4. You're racist.