While the Minnesota fraud scandal and ensuing investigation are nothing to joke about, two Health and Human Services officials took a moment out of their busy schedules to share some “unsolicited commentary” about their job performance.
On Wednesday morning, HHS Deputy Secretary Jim O’Neill and assistant secretary of the Administration for Children and Families Alex Adams stepped in front of the camera to respond to the humorous feedback they have received from those paying attention to their work.
“Protecting state and federal child care dollars and holding Governor Walz accountable, courtesy of Bert and Ernie,” read a caption to the video.
‘This is what I want my government to be.’
The two officials took turns reading comments from viewers.
“Why does this feel like a late-night class-action lawsuit commercial? ‘Do you or a loved one have mesothelioma? Call 1-800 …'” O’Neill read.
Photographer: Eric Lee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“They look like injury-claim lawyers that have the nickname ‘the Hammer’ on a billboard in rural Indiana,” Adams read out loud.
“These are the kind of nerds that will save the union,” O’Neill said.
“I’m getting strong Bert and Ernie energy,” Adams said.
“You’re Bert,” O’Neill joked.
A lengthier comment said, “These dorks are amazing. They found policies that enable the massive fraud, they’re stopping it, and they got in front of a camera to explain it to us. This is what I want my government to be.”
In a final comment, Adams read, “I love these guys. The vibe feels like ‘behind the camera’ people being told they need to wear a suit tomorrow.”
The fraud investigation was helped by the outpouring of information into HHS’ tip line at childcare.gov, where they said that they had quickly received more than 500 tips for their investigation.
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Politics, Jim oneill, Alex adams, Health and human services, Childcare, Childcare fraud, Hhs, Minnesota, Minnesota fraud