House Republicans respond to newly-permanent DHS commissioner

ST. PAUL – Following news that the Governor has made temporary DHS Commissioner Shireen Gandhi the new permanent commissioner, House Republicans released the following statement.

“Appointing a permanent commissioner is long-overdue, and I’m glad the governor is finally providing some information on the position,” said Speaker Lisa Demuth. “The department’s response to the billions that have gone out in fraud has been lackluster, and I hope that Commissioner Gandhi will lead the department into a more effective strategy to stop any future fraud schemes from happening.”

“Commissioner Gandhi has worked at DHS for years, including in compliance and oversight, while billions of taxpayer dollars were lost to fraud. For the past 13 months, she has served as interim commissioner as Minnesota’s fraud epidemic has made international news,” added Leader Harry Niska. “During that same time, we’ve learned that agency employees fabricated and backdated documents to mislead auditors investigating the department’s oversight of taxpayer dollars. Promoting her sends the wrong message at a time when Minnesotans are demanding real accountability. To this day, not a single employee or commissioner has been fired or disciplined for allowing criminals to steal billions of dollars away from the very Minnesotans these programs were meant to serve. That’s not accountability. That’s failure rewarded.”

Human Services Chair Joe Schomacker added, “During a time of major uncertainty at the Department of Human Services, I congratulate Commissioner Gandhi’s permanent appointment. I expect this appointment will bring much needed stability and accountability for those whose lives are directly impacted by the person in that position.”