The Somali fraud stories are emerging across the country. From its origin in Minnesota, new claims have emerged in Ohio, Maine, Massachusetts, and Washington.
Yesterday, in Minnesota, state legislators and daycare providers held a press conference to speak out after the Trump administration announced that Health and Human Services (HHS) would be suspending the program until an investigation into the fraud claims was completed.
The press conference began with an opening statement from a childcare center director named Amanda Schillinger, who claims that many in her community are afraid to come forward because they’re being targeted and that she really doesn’t want to be there.
“So lets be honest about how we got here. “Our President decided he doesn’t like the Somali community and he wants to destroy them,” she said. “Speaker Demuth and the GOP caucus sent a YouTuber out to create the narrative they want out there. Not the truth.”
She continued by saying that “Minnesota does investigate suspected fraud in childcare and hold people accountable. And they will continue to do so because fraud is never acceptable. But cutting off childcare funding to everyone in the state is not the answer and its not acceptable.”
She claims that 75 percent of the children in “our program” qualify through the state for childcare funding.
Next to speak was a woman that said she is a mother, medical student, and benefactor of childcare funding spoke at the event. She began her speech, seemingly reading from her phone, by acknowledging that she’s “not much of a good speaker” but would try her best.
Nervously reading from her cell phone, she stated that 20,000 kids will be unable to attend daycare as they and their parents depend on this funding.
But when the script prompted her to say, “I understand: fraud is bad,” she covered her mouth in shock, seemingly concerned for what she had just said, and backed out of her speech.
Hellbound and Down 