Editorial: Illinois should not be punished for fraud in Minnesota

Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune on Jan 8, 2026

Published in Op Eds

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Yes, Mr. President, we know there was massive welfare-related fraud in Minnesota. We’ve written about it more than once and the beleagured governor up there rightly has said he now will not stand for reelection and is struggling to survive his current term, given the billions of dollars that have flowed to all the wrong places. Yes, there’s an argument that the state of Minnesota was such a poor steward of federal funds that some direct action by the feds was justified. In the state of Minnesota.

But that has nothing to do with Illinois.

Nonetheless, the Land of Lincoln (along with Minnesota, New York, California and Colorado) reportedly will collectively be cut off by the administration of President Donald Trump from some $10 billion in federal funding for welfare and social programs such as the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and the Social Services Block Grant program. The New York Post was the first to report the plan, citing “officials.”

The sins of these states? Ostensibly it will be that the funds were either inadequately protected or that they were being provided to persons in this country without authorization. But as any sentient being whose reading list goes beyond Truth Social well knows, the actual common denominator here is that all five of these states are controlled by Democrats.

Assuming this is something beyond Trumpian posturing, and that’s unclear, any such decision would not only be churlish and cruel but poorly targeted. Welfare and other kinds of fraud involving government funds reportedly have been widespread in Ohio and Georgia, to name but two other examples. As we have said several times, fraudsters come in many guises, weak protections know no political flavor and the need for governments to fight back against criminals should not be seen through a partisan lens.

Most of us recall from our youths a time when we were blamed for the actions of others. It led us not to trust those in positions of authority or who controlled the resources we needed for our lives. The perception of fairness and the application of hard evidence to any punishment is a vital part of the compact between the governing and the governed.

This especially applies when the most obvious victims of such a drastic action could end up being genuinely needy kids.

Take off your partisan blinkers, Mr. President, do the work and act responsibly.

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