$84.6M Funded 500+ Deceased People In Minnesota

“Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” Ephesians 5:11

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has identified more than $84 million in potentially ineligible housing assistance payments distributed to Minnesota during the final year of the Biden administration, according to a recent review and documents examined by The New York Post.

As part of an ongoing examination into billions in taxpayer-funded rental aid programs, Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) latest analysis pinpointed $84.6 million in questionable payments for fiscal year 2024. This amount included as much as $496,000 provided to 509 individuals listed as deceased tenants.

An additional $246,000 went to 20 recipients whose Social Security numbers couldn’t be verified, raising concerns they may have been non-citizens ineligible for the aid.

HUD Secretary Scott Turner, one of the many Christians in President Trump’s cabinet, rightfully criticized the prior administration, stating: “Biden’s HUD failed the people of Minnesota, paying dead people while vulnerable families were left behind.”

He added: “This gross level of mismanagement and failure to safeguard American taxpayer dollars is unacceptable. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are holding bad actors accountable and will continue to root out rampant fraud in Minnesota and across the country.”

The findings have emerged amid growing scrutiny of fraud allegations in Minnesota under Democratic Governor Tim Walz, who recently withdrew from seeking a third term as numerous investigations into fraud scandals have begun.

The preliminary audit covered 61 housing authorities throughout the state but has yet to conclusively establish fraud in every case.

Nationwide, the review flagged $5.8 billion in questionable rental assistance payments, including aid to roughly 30,000 potentially deceased tenants and thousands of possible non-citizens.

Of the questionable funds, about 11% went to more than 200,000 tenants who may have been ineligible. Amongst them, approximately 29,715 (14%) were flagged as deceased, 9,472 (4%) as potential non-citizens, and 165,393 (82%) as receiving amounts exceeding local eligibility thresholds.

Payments to deceased recipients appeared in housing authorities across all 50 states, with notable concentrations in New York, California, and Washington, D.C. Turner described the situation as a “massive abuse of taxpayer dollars.”

In total, HUD distributed nearly $49 billion in assistance to over 4 million households in fiscal year 2024, with $33 billion allocated through Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) and $16 billion via Project-Based Rental Assistance (PBRA).

Previous audits by HUD’s Office of Inspector General had already highlighted weaknesses in fraud prevention efforts by both the department and state agencies.

Investigators noted a lack of robust controls and no clear process for reporting suspected fraud in TBRA and PBRA programs.

The current review, overseen by HUD’s Office of the Chief Financial Officer, examined payments made to public housing authorities, landlords, contractors, and other non-federal entities from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024.

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