Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Taxpayer Funds

Colorado Treasurer Race Pits Limited Government Against Expanded Investment Role
The Sum & Substance, Approved, State

Colorado Treasurer Race Pits Limited Government Against Expanded Investment Role

By Ed Sealover | The Sum and Substance The Colorado Treasurer’s office, to be blunt, is a pretty boring post. It invests some $17 billion in state tax revenues and oversees a smattering of financial programs but is largely limited in the things it can do to impact the state and its business community. This year’s race for the open office, however, will serve as a referendum of sorts on whether voters want it to keep its traditional focus or would prefer it expand the ways in which it invests and safeguards Colorado taxpayers’ money. That’s because the two men seeking to replace term-limited Democratic Treasurer Dave Young have very different visions for how they intend to use the power of the office. Kevin Grantham — the last Republican to serve as Colorado Senate pres...
Trump Administration Moves to Restrict Tax Benefits for Illegal Immigrants
The Federalist, Approved, National

Trump Administration Moves to Restrict Tax Benefits for Illegal Immigrants

By Samuel Kimzey | The Federalist We are witnessing a well-coordinated, multi-pronged strategy targeting the incentives that draw illegal aliens to the United States. Last week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced new regulations to clarify existing federal law and prevent illegal aliens from collecting government benefits. Bessent wrote on X: “Under @POTUS, the days of illegal aliens collecting taxpayer-funded benefits are over. The federal law is clear, and @USTreasury is enforcing it. American taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for benefits going to those who are barred by law from receiving them. These proposed regulations end the abuse, protect the integrity of the tax system, and put Americans first.”  These new policies are c...
Judge Orders Griswold to Turn Over Records Tied to Taxpayer-Funded Consulting
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Judge Orders Griswold to Turn Over Records Tied to Taxpayer-Funded Consulting

By Shaun Boyd | CBS Colorado A Denver District Court judge has given Secretary of State Jena Griswold until Thursday to comply with an open records request, or she could be held in contempt. The records involve consulting work, paid for with public funds. Griswold's office says it doesn't have the documents and it refuses to ask the consultant for them, claiming that would impose an undue "burden." Instead, the Secretary of State's office sent four employees and the Attorney General's Office sent three attorneys to court. The consultant was brought in two years after Griswold became Secretary of State. The office had become a revolving door. Griswold was on her second deputy secretary, third chief legal counsel and fourth chief of staff. An invoice in the court record ...
DOJ Charges Record 455 Defendants In $6.5 Billion Healthcare Fraud Sweep
Washington Examiner, Approved, National

DOJ Charges Record 455 Defendants In $6.5 Billion Healthcare Fraud Sweep

By Kaelan Deese | Washington Examiner A nationwide healthcare fraud crackdown resulted in charges against 455 defendants accused of schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in fraudulent claims, marking what federal officials on Tuesday described as the largest coordinated healthcare fraud enforcement action in Justice Department history. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., FBI Director Kash Patel, and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz announced the operation, which spanned 57 federal districts across 41 states and territories and included charges against 90 licensed medical professionals. https://twitter.com/FBIDirectorKash/stat...
House Report Alleges Walz Administration Ignored Billions in Fraud Losses
Just The News, Approved, National

House Report Alleges Walz Administration Ignored Billions in Fraud Losses

By John Solomon | Just the News Vance announced criminal referral in a social media post in which he raised concerns that Walz's administration tried to retaliate against whistleblowers. Vice President JD Vance has referred evidence gathered by Congress that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison failed to act against mass welfare fraud in their state to the Justice Department for possible criminal investigate. Vance announced the criminal referral in a social media post late Monday in which he raised concerns that Walz's administration also tried to retaliate against state workers who blew the whistle on the welfare fraud scams in Minnesota, estimated by the House Oversight Committee to have cost taxpayers more than $9 billion. "...
Colorado Probes Claims of Cash Incentives Linked to Medicaid Services for Homeless Residents
Colorado Politics, Approved, Local

Colorado Probes Claims of Cash Incentives Linked to Medicaid Services for Homeless Residents

By: David Migoya | Colorado Politics Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series. Read about how home health in Colorado is a complex setupand about the group On Going HHC. They call it “the program.” For the past four years, dozens of homeless people in the Denver metro area have been recruited to live rent-free in suburban houses sprinkled across Aurora — not the stereotypical homeless shelter-type housing one might think, but rather neat homes in middle-class communities with mortgages. But living there comes with a hitch: a requirement that participants be on Medicaid and have at least one prescribed medication — all must first visit the same doctor to get a cursory exam and a prescription — administered by a home health company for which the doctor ...
Denver $178M Homeless Initiative Faces Scrutiny Over Missing Funds
DENVER7, Approved, Local

Denver $178M Homeless Initiative Faces Scrutiny Over Missing Funds

By Tyler Melito | Denver7 In a report released Thursday, the City of Denver's auditor's office said the initiative by the mayor had underreported expenses and was "insufficiently planned." DENVER - The Denver mayor’s office and the city auditor’s office are in sharp disagreement over the findings of the latest audit on All In Mile High, the city’s homelessness initiative. Mayor Mike Johnston launched All In Mile High in 2024 with the ambitious goal of ending unsheltered homelessness in Denver by the end of 2026. The report released Thursday by City Auditor Timothy O'Brien's office credits the program with reducing unsheltered homelessness by 45% since 2023 — but that same report sharply criticizes the initiative’s financial transparency, planning and equi...
Colorado Wolf Compensation Claims Top $700K In 2025 Far Exceeding State Fund
The Denver Gazette, Approved, State

Colorado Wolf Compensation Claims Top $700K In 2025 Far Exceeding State Fund

By Marianne Goodland | The Denver Gazette The Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission approved more than $706,000 in wolf depredation claims for 2025 during its March meeting last week, an amount that exceeds the state’s annual wolf compensation fund by more than double. The commission also rejected another $53,611 in claims. But more claims are expected, based on comments from Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff in January.  Of the claims approved last week, $615,000 was listed on the commission’s consent agenda; another claim for $125,265 was split, with $91,170 approved for payment and the rest denied. There were several other claims recommended for denial by CPW staff, which the commission affirmed. A CPW official told a joint meeting of the House and Sena...
Denver Audit Questions Spending On Alcohol And Meals For Taxpayer Supported Nonprofit
kdvr.com, Approved, Local

Denver Audit Questions Spending On Alcohol And Meals For Taxpayer Supported Nonprofit

By Shaul Turner | KDVR FOX31 DENVER (KDVR) —  A Denver addiction and mental health foundation spent thousands of taxpayers’ money on alcohol and food, according to a city audit. The city and county of Denver tells FOX31 the nonprofit Caring For Denver Foundation issued funds to organizations that submitted falsified and misleading information. The foundation refutes the claims but is now making some changes. Created in 2018, the Caring For Denver Foundation has awarded more than $185 million in grants to 270 different organizations.  Executive Director Lorez Meinhold issued a statement to FOX31 saying the Foundation “has helped make a meaningful difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of Denverites suffering from addiction and ment...
NGOs And The Rise Of An Unelected Shadow Government
Defender of the Republic., Approved, Commentary, National

NGOs And The Rise Of An Unelected Shadow Government

By: Defender of the Republic | Defender of the Republic How Nonprofits Can Exacerbate Fraud, Launder Public Money and How Citizens Can Stop It. For years, Americans have been told that NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) are benevolent, independent charities doing work the government “can’t.” The truth is more complicated and more dangerous. Many NGOs today function as unelected extensions of government power, funded by taxpayer money, shielded from transparency, and largely immune from voter accountability. When abused, this structure can exacerbate fraud, enable money laundering, and distort public policy all while appearing charitable on paper. Now before you start questioning my reporting…isn’t about attacking char...