Overview
- Klobuchar unveiled the plan Sunday at her first campaign press event, promising a day-one audit of state agencies to find waste, fraud and abuse.
- The plan adds new guardrails, including a Do Not Pay list for convicted fraudsters, power to freeze suspect payments before disbursement, and more unannounced, in-person inspections.
- She also calls for replacing decades-old computer systems and making services mobile-first so the state can spot red flags sooner and serve people faster.
- Republicans led by House Speaker Lisa Demuth branded her run a “Walz third term,” while Klobuchar said she would do things differently and leaned on her record as a prosecutor.
- Former U.S. Attorney Andy Luger endorsed her approach, and the push lands as lawmakers consider an independent inspector general and easier payment holds and as federal fraud probes continue.