A proposal to create a new oversight office for state government agencies passed with overwhelming bipartisan backing Thursday in the Minnesota Senate. But with time dwindling in the legislative session, it’s unclear whether the bill will reach the governor this year — or if he’ll sign it.

Support for a state Office of Inspector General has gained traction at the Legislature this session amid calls for greater oversight after the state lost hundreds of millions of dollars to pandemic-era fraud schemes.

In the Feeding Our Future scandal, for instance, prosecutors have alleged that a group of scammers used nonprofits to make off with about $250 million from a federally funded school meals program, claiming reimbursements from the state for millions of meals never served. A total of 70 individuals have been charged in the case with the ringleader found guilty earlier this year.

Aimee Bock, founder and executive director of the nonprofit organization Feeding Our Future, arrives at the Minneapolis federal courthouse with her attorney, Ken Udoibok, right, on Wednesday, March 19, 2025, in Minneapolis, Minn. (Kerem Yücel/Minnesota Public Radio via AP)

If the Senate bill becomes law, a new state oversight office would be able to shut down payments when there is a credible suspicion of fraud and conduct an investigation. The office would have subpoena powers, and the Senate on Thursday adopted an amendment adding law enforcement capabilities.

The Democratic-Farmer-Labor-majority Senate passed its inspector general bill 60-7, with some DFL holdouts concerned about how state fraud enforcement efforts might interfere with federal benefits like Medicaid. They also had concerns about due process for organizations suspected of fraud.

Similar proposals exist in the tied House, though they have not gained the same level of traction with just under two weeks remaining in the legislative session.

DFL Gov. Tim Walz has said he supports efforts to combat fraud, though it’s not completely clear where he stands on the Senate bill. At an related Thursday bill signing, he said he’s open to the idea but questioned whether it was the most efficient way to combat fraud.

Fraud a big issue this session

Addressing government fraud has been a politically potent issue at the Capitol this year, with Republicans and DFL lawmakers alike sponsoring bills to prevent future large-scale waste, fraud and abuse in government.

House Republicans created a new committee specifically aimed at highlighting and addressing the issue, and have advanced several proposals aimed at fighting problems in the future.

Democrats say they’ve already taken significant action and that the perpetrators of Feeding Our Future and other schemes are being held accountable in court. They point to a 2023 bill approving new oversight staff at state agencies, and Walz’s January executive order creating a fraud investigation unit at the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

That hasn’t stopped a bipartisan push in the Senate to do more. The lead sponsors on the Senate inspector general bill are Sen. Heather Gustafson, DFL-Vadnais Heights, and Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine.

They argue that while some agencies have their own oversight offices, Minnesota would benefit from an office insulated from politics with its own enforcement capabilities. Right now, governor-appointed commissioners appoint their agencies’ inspectors general.

“We have already made significant strides in fighting fraud in Minnesota, but today filled a gap that was desperately missing,” Gustafson told reporters at a press briefing following the vote. “We needed to be able to be more proactive. For years, we’ve been able to do quite a bit of fraud prevention work, but we are always still a little bit reactive.”

Minnesota already has a nonpartisan Office of Legislative Auditor, which conducts independent oversight investigations of state agencies and programs. While its work is valuable to understanding problems in state government, it often identifies them after they’ve occurred, Gustafson said.

Some Minnesota government agencies, like the Department of Education, have their own oversight officials. Under the bill, they’d be shifted to the central Office of Inspector General. There’d be about 30 staff funded by just under $9 million.

As part of a compromise, the Department of Human Services would be the primary authority on investigating Medicaid fraud, Gustafson said. That came due to agency concerns about how a state fraud investigation might interfere with federal rules.

Backers say the new office would be insulated from politics by requiring a supermajority to confirm leadership and giving it its own enforcement powers.

Under the Senate bill, an advisory panel composed of an equal number of DFL and GOP lawmakers would recommend a list of appointees to the governor.

Once the governor chooses someone to fill the position, they would need to be confirmed by a three-fifths majority of the Senate.

‘Not ready for prime time’

While many hailed the bill’s passage as a bipartisan accomplishment, holdouts said they had concerns about due process in cases where the office decided to cut off funding for suspected fraud.

They also had concerns about how enforcement actions might interact with federal programs,. Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, said state actions could lead to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services interrupting funding for programs in Minnesota.

“It’s going to make headlines, but you didn’t do your due diligence,” he said ahead of the vote. “Although it’s a great front page of a newspaper article, it’s not ready for prime time. Vote no.”

The state Department of Human Services had raised concerns about this with lawmakers in the past, and, for Hoffman and others, the bill in its present shape didn’t do enough to address them.

“I thought that things were clear — that that we needed to be careful about how we grant a new entity authority over programs that affect vulnerable people in our state,” said Sen. Melissa Wiklund, DFL-Bloomington, the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.

Backers said their amendments to the bill on Thursday addressed those concerns in part by requiring a federal response to the state before it proceeds with enforcement actions.

The Senate’s inspector general bill is just one of several fraud-related measures moving through the Legislature this year. Others include a GOP-backed proposal to create stricter reporting requirements for fraud in state agencies and new protections for whistleblowers.

The last day of session is May 19.

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With a $250,000 donation and support from alumni, Macalester College will offer housing and meal plans to international students between semesters as federal changes leave many concerned about their ability to return to the U.S. if they leave for the summer.

In an email to alumni requesting donations on Tuesday, Macalester College President Suzanne Rivera, said that the school has started a fund to provide free room and board for international students that can support 65 students as of Tuesday. As of fall last year, Macalester enrolled 321 international students from 85 countries and 2,138 total students.

President Suzanne Rivera (Macalester College)

“Throughout the semester, we’ve been in touch with our international students to protect their safety and support their well-being in light of the rapidly changing visa landscape,” Rivera wrote. “Many of them are scared, and we’re worried that our visa holders may not be able to get back into the United States to continue their education if they go home for the summer. For this reason, we’ve pledged to offer housing and meal plans for international students who need a safe place to stay between semesters.”

Rivera urged alumni to contribute to the fund, with a goal of raising an additional $250,000 by the end of the month to help Macalester provide housing and food, as well as stipends so students can take unpaid internships. Most are not authorized to work in the U.S., she wrote, and college officials plan to provide $6,250 stipends to at least 12 students.

She also encouraged alumni with local organizations that can provide students with internships or volunteer opportunities to connect with the school or for alumni to spend time with international students, such as taking them to sporting events or hosting them for a meal.

“Contact your elected officials and tell them how you feel about threats to students, and attacks on academic freedom and autonomy at American colleges and universities,” Rivera also wrote.

Monitoring policy changes

At least 1,220 international students in the U.S. have had their visas revoked or legal status terminated since late March, according to the Associated Press, with some colleges cautioning international students against travel abroad.

In addition to creating the fund, Macalester officials are monitoring federal policy changes, working with those affected by them and engaging with national associations and coalitions, Rivera wrote in the email to alumni.

Macalester College has joined the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration and other organizations on an amicus brief in AAUP v. Rubio and in April, Rivera signed a statement opposing “undue government intrusion in the lives of those who learn, live, and work on our campuses,” according to the statement, along with other college leaders.

“I want to be very clear: at Macalester, we remain committed to the principle of academic freedom, the rights of free speech and assembly, and the importance of respecting different perspectives, points of view, identities, and experiences,” Rivera wrote.

Macalester leadership initially went to the college’s trustees for contributions before turning to its alumni network, Rivera said Thursday.

Students also stayed during pandemic

It’s not the first time the college has had to look into summer housing and resources for international students, Rivera said. When Rivera first began at Macalester in 2020, international students also stayed on campus over the summer during the pandemic when international travel was restricted.

“But that summer, there were federal relief funds that the college was able to access in order to meet the financial demands of that unbudgeted expense,” she said. “But right now, in this moment, there is no federal source of funds to support these students, and that’s why we’re looking to philanthropy to help support the unbudgeted expense of giving our international students a safe place to stay over the summer.”

Macalester has a history of commitment to global citizenship and internationalism and the response from alumni has been gratifying, she said.

“But I can tell you that we’ve been really encouraged by how many people have signaled to us that they felt this was the right thing to do and consistent with our mission and values,” Rivera said. “… And we take really seriously our obligation to support them and take good care of them while they’re here. And none of us anticipated at the start of the school year that we would be facing these particular challenges with regard to international students and their visa status.”

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It didn’t take long for Chicago Cubs fans to welcome the first American pope into their arms, or for White Sox fans to claim him as their own.

When Pope Leo XIV’s election was announced Thursday, ABC News reported Robert Prevost, of Dolton, was a Cubs fan.

The jokes were flying on social media, many of them suggesting Pope Leo XIV was a perfect choice to heal the world’s suffering, thanks to his allegiance to the Cubs.

That begged the question: Would the Cubs ask the new pope to throw a ceremonial first pitch at Wrigley Field?

A message to the Cubs got a quick response.

“Not only would we welcome Pope Leo XIV to Wrigley Field, he could sing ‘Take Me Out to the Ballgame,’” Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts said in a statement.

“Or, since three of his predecessors visited Yankee Stadium, including Pope Paul VI, who delivered the 1965 ‘Sermon on the Mound,’ we would invite the Pontiff to do the same at the Friendly Confines.”

The Wrigley Field marquee changed to “Hey, Chicago, He’s a Cubs fan!” after the news Thursday afternoon.

“Hey, Chicago. He’s a Cubs fan!” reads the Wrigley Field marquee after Cardinal Robert Prevost, a Chicago native, was chosen as the 267th pontiff on May 8, 2025, in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

But the Sox might have a better claim. His brother, John Prevost, told the Tribune that the new pope was “always a Sox fan.”

The Sox were of the firm belief that a brother knows what kind of fan his own brother is and made it clear they were claiming the pope as their own.

“Family always knows best, and it sounds like Pope Leo XIV’s lifelong fandom follows a little closer to 35th and Shields,” the Sox said in a statement, referring to Rate Field. “Some things are bigger than baseball, and in this case we’re glad to have a White Sox fan represented at the Vatican. A pinstripe White Sox jersey with his name on it and a hat already are on the way to Rome, and of course, the Pontiff always is welcome at the ballpark.”

Sox fans jumped on the news, posting tweets that the Cubs’ claim was premature. If it’s true he’s a Sox fan, Pope Leo XIV would be the team’s second representative of the Vatican after former Sox pitcher “The Pope” Donn Pall.

Getting the new pope to the ballpark could be a stretch for either the Cubs or the Sox, but if he does come to Chicago, at least he’ll have his choice of baseball activities.

The Cubs have had many celebrities perform the stretch after Harry Caray’s death in 1998 began the tradition of guest singers, from Mike Ditka to Hillary Clinton. But they’ve yet to have a pope in the booth singing and then imploring the Cubs to “get some runs.”

If his North Side fandom is confirmed, Pope Leo XIV would automatically become the world’s most famous Cubs fan, eclipsing Bill Murray for the top spot.

The Cubs have a team chaplain, Rev. Burke Masters, who celebrates mass at the ballpark on Sundays with Wrigley Field employees, including players, team personnel and ushers. During the Cubs’ playoff run in 2016, Rev. Masters was asked if praying was going to help the Cubs win the World Series.

“Ultimately, I don’t think God cares who wins or loses,” Masters said. “But it can’t hurt.”

The Cubs are in first place in the National League Central and now might have a connection with the Big Guy in Pope Leo XIV. If he really is a die-hard Cubs fan, Pope Leo XIV probably can let his followers know with a familiar Latin phrase that every fans knows:

“Eamus Catuli” … “Lets go Cubs.”

The Sox, meanwhile, are in last place in the American League Central with a 10-28 record after Thursday’s 10-0 loss to the Kansas City Royals.

If Pope Leo XIV is truly a Sox fan, a downtrodden team is counting on him to come through with a miracle or two to salvage the season.

President Donald Trump has nominated Minneapolis commercial litigator Daniel Rosen to be the next U.S. Attorney for Minnesota.

Earlier this year, Rosen, of Rosen LLC, was one of three candidates recommended for the position by Minnesota’s Republican congressional delegation to replace Andrew Luger, who stepped down as the state’s top federal prosecutor before Trump’s inauguration.

The nomination was referred Tuesday to the U.S. Senate’s Committee on the Judiciary, which will review Rosen’s qualifications before it goes to the full senate for a vote.

The congressional delegation — Reps. Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad, Michelle Fischbach and Pete Stauber — issued a statement Wednesday calling Rosen “one of the sharpest legal minds in the entire country.”

“With over three decades of experience as an attorney and a proven commitment to public safety, Dan will uphold the rule of law and keep criminals off our streets,” the statement says. “As fraud and crime run rampant under Governor Walz’s watch, we urge our colleagues in the Senate to act quickly to confirm Dan’s nomination.”

The delegation’s other nominees sent to Trump on Jan. 27 were Erica MacDonald, who he appointed as Minnesota’s U.S. Attorney during his first term as president, and Ronald Schutz, who has held senior leadership roles at Robins Kaplan LLC in Minneapolis for nearly three decades.

Rosen is a U.S. Navy veteran and University of Minnesota Law School graduate who has over 30 years of practice focusing on commercial litigation in federal and state courts, according to the delegation’s letter to Trump.

“He has used his expertise to advocate for community and charitable issues, especially matters of particular interest to the American Jewish community,” the letter continues.

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Rosen previously served as a partner of the Parker Rosen firm and was partner-in-charge when Miami-based law firm Kluger Kaplan opened a satellite office in Minneapolis in 2017.

If confirmed, Rosen will oversee a U.S. attorney’s office with about 140 staffers, including more than 70 attorneys. The office is headquartered at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis, and a branch office is maintained in St. Paul.

Under Luger’s leadership, the attorney’s office prioritized the prosecution of crimes related to gun and gang violence while also tackling the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.

Lisa Kirkpatrick is the acting U.S. attorney.