Rocky Mountain Voice

Tag: Taxpayer Funds

Denver Audit Finds Office of Social Equity and Innovation Still Falling Short on Financial Oversight
The Denver Gazette, Approved, Local

Denver Audit Finds Office of Social Equity and Innovation Still Falling Short on Financial Oversight

By Deborah Grigsby | The Denver Gazette Denver’s Office of Social Equity and Innovation has yet to implement half of the 14 recommendations made by auditors in 2024, leaving the city and the Colorado Youth Detention Continuum Program at risk of misusing small-dollar funds. A follow-up report released by City Auditor Tim O’Brien on Thursday noted that, while the office has made progress, gaps involving policies and procedures, inconsistent financial records and insufficient monitoring of grant-related expenses remain. Denver’s Chief Equity Officer Ben Sanders told The Denver Gazette that much of what is in the auditor’s report about the youth detention program is “fair.” “The auditor is auditing a program that transitioned, starting in the summer of 2024, from th...
Walz Called to Answer as House Oversight Probes Massive Minnesota Fraud
The Western Journal, Approved, National

Walz Called to Answer as House Oversight Probes Massive Minnesota Fraud

By Bryan Chai | The Western Journal The hits just keep on coming against Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. The same day reports first surfaced that Walz was facing a formal criminal complaint for his alleged role in the fraud scandal that has engulfed his state, it appears Congress wants some answers, too. On Wednesday, the House Oversight Committee came out with a blistering announcement that it plans to hold a hearing titled, “Oversight of Fraud and Misuse of Federal Funds in Minnesota: Part I.” And they’ve invited Walz and Democratic state Attorney General Keith Ellison to explain how this rampant fraud exploded under their watch. READ THE FULL ARTICLE AT THE WESTERN JOURNAL
Federal audit finds housing benefits paid to 221 deceased recipients in Colorado
New York Post, Approved, State

Federal audit finds housing benefits paid to 221 deceased recipients in Colorado

By Ryan King | New York Post The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is investigating whether Colorado providers helped nearly 3,000 people swindle taxpayer money from Uncle Sam, The Post has learned. The investigation comes after an internal HUD audit found that benefits were granted to 221 dead people, while another 87 were otherwise ineligible. The department also said that another 2,519 beneficiaries will need to undergo additional verification. “From deceased tenants to individuals receiving HUD housing benefits who were never supposed to, the Department has questions for HUD-supported housing providers in Colorado, and we expect prompt answers and enforcement action,” a HUD spokesperson told The Post. READ THE FULL STORY AT T...
Colorado Federal IT Worker Stole $1 Million From Federal Agency Through Fake Invoices
CBS Colorado, Approved, State

Colorado Federal IT Worker Stole $1 Million From Federal Agency Through Fake Invoices

By Logan Smith | CBS Colorado A 55-year-old Colorado man who worked for the federal government was sentenced to prison this week for fraudulently diverting approximately $1 million from his employer for personal use. James Montoya, of Lakewood, was sentenced Tuesday to 41 months behind bars. He was also ordered to repay $1,122,009.47. Montoya was employed as an information technology specialist for the United States Geological Survey, which has offices in Lakewood. He was hired by the agency in 1996 and started working in an IT position in 2002.  A year later, Montoya began falsifying expense reports in order to shift money to personal PayPal accounts, per case documents. The activity wasn't noticed until 15 years later. Then, in 2023, an examination of employe...
Insurers Made Billions Off Obamacare’s Secret Taxpayer Surplus
Just The News, Approved, National

Insurers Made Billions Off Obamacare’s Secret Taxpayer Surplus

By Steven Richards | Just the News Subsidies were greatly expanded by the Biden administration during the COVID-19 pandemic as an emergency measure, but Democrats have fought to keep them permanent. Those subsidies went mostly to Democratic donors. The 42-day federal shutdown forced by Democrats thrust the economics of Obamacare into the limelight, and exposed an uncomfortable truth: An insurance industry whose executives are increasingly liberal donors has seen its earnings soar with the injection of taxpayer-funded subsidies that propped up Barack Obama's signature health program from collapse. The nation’s largest health insurance companies have seen good business since Obamacare was first passed in 2010 and fully implemented in 2014. This has come in no small part because of...
Polis Silent on Claims of RTD Using Public Tax Money for Political Gain
Colorado Politics, Approved, Commentary, State

Polis Silent on Claims of RTD Using Public Tax Money for Political Gain

By Natalie Menten | Commentary, Colorado Politics A tax-hike campaign shouldn’t be funded with public tax dollars to hire political consultants — period. Yet Colorado law contains a loophole that allows public agencies to spend money campaigning under the guise of “education” or “engagement.” That’s exactly what the Front Range Passenger Rail District, an appointed board that includes 17 voting and seven non-voting members — many hand-picked by Gov. Jared Polis — intends to do. On Oct. 30, the district issued a public bid to hire a consultant team to create a “Friends of Front Range Rail” relational engagement platform. The bid spells out the goal: “build awareness, engagement, and grassroots momentum,” while giving supporters tools to “share campaign content,” “invite friends,” and ...
White House Unveils Website Exposing Criminal Illegal Aliens on Medicaid
Breitbart, Approved, National

White House Unveils Website Exposing Criminal Illegal Aliens on Medicaid

By: Nick Robertson | Breitbart The White House will launch a website on Monday night exposing criminal illegal aliens, including murderers, rapists, and burglars, who have received taxpayer-funded Medicaid benefits, Breitbart News has learned. The website features mugshots and photos of dozens of illegal aliens convicted of brutal crimes, undercutting Democrat claims that illegal aliens have not received healthcare benefits. The top of the page chronicles the Trump administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal aliens convicted of crimes who have received Medicaid benefits, as well as Democrats’ efforts to restore Medicaid benefits to illegal aliens and noncitizens: The Trump administration has intensified enforcement against criminal illegal aliens receivin...
Colorado Among States That Handed Out $1.4B in Medicaid Funds to Illegals
The Federalist, Approved, National

Colorado Among States That Handed Out $1.4B in Medicaid Funds to Illegals

By: Breccan F. Thies | The Federalist Five states and Washington, D.C., funneled more than $1.35 billion in federal taxpayer Medicaid funding to illegals, according to a preliminary audit of the program completed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS Administrator Dr. Mehemet Oz posted the results of the preliminary audit on social media showing California, D.C., Illinois, Washington, Colorado, and Oregon spent millions each on illegals, with California spending the bulk, topping over $1.3 billion alone. That money, according to Oz, was spent “just in the last few months.” The left constantly claims this does not, or even cannot, happen because it is against federal law to use programs like Medicaid — something meant for Americans — fo...
Governor’s mansion doubles as free soapbox for First Gentleman’s animal agenda
Colorado Accountability Project, Approved, Commentary, State

Governor’s mansion doubles as free soapbox for First Gentleman’s animal agenda

By Cory Gaines | Commentary, Colorado Accountability Project The First Gentleman's lecture series -- who's footing the bill? A couple weeks back, I noticed an article about a talk at the governor's mansion about wolf reintroduction involving the First Gentleman and his guests for the evening. The article is linked first below if you'd like to give it a read.If you know anything about the First Gentleman, you know he is a dedicated animal rights activist. Has been for a while. It should therefore not shock anyone that the guests at this talk were also animal rights/wildlife advocates.I won't go into the details of the talk. I'll leave it to you to read up if you'd like.The First Gentleman has the same First Amendment rights as anyone else. He's welcome to have an opinion and expre...
President Trump team outlines crackdown on left-wing NGOs with ties to violence after Kirk assassination
The Daily Signal, Approved, National

President Trump team outlines crackdown on left-wing NGOs with ties to violence after Kirk assassination

By Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell | The Daily Signal The Trump administration will only investigate left-wing groups with a provable tie to violence following the assassination of conservative leader Charlie Kirk, an administration official told The Daily Signal. The focus of investigations will be Antifa-like groups involved in the online conspiracy to assassinate Turning Point USA founder Kirk on Sept. 10, the source said. This comes after Vice President JD Vance and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller on Monday discussed plans to “go after” leftist nongovernmental organizations due to Kirk’s killing. “We’re going to go after the NGO network that foments, facilitates, and engages in violence,” Vance said. “We are going to channel all of the anger that we hav...