On Tuesday, I reported on the flurry of new bills that have been introduced by state lawmakers in the days since Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger’s inauguration. The slate of proposed legislation includes tax increases, rollbacks of mandatory minimum sentencing requirements, and even a measure that would prohibit the hand-counting of ballots in statewide elections. Notably absent from these initiatives is any reference to “affordability” — the central issue Democrats campaigned on during the 2025 election cycle and one that resonated strongly with voters. But I digress.
In the meantime, lawmakers have continued to roll out new proposals. One in particular caught the eye of Christian Heiens, a self-described historian with a large following on X: HB 1369. This proposal stands out because of its similarity to the Minnesota law that enabled the alleged Somali day-care fraud.
HB 1369 states:
No state agency responsible for the administration of federal funds shall impose a requirement on a nonprofit charitable organization providing a federal public benefit to determine, verify, or otherwise require proof of eligibility of any applicant for such benefits.
Why it’s almost as if the Democratic members of Virginia’s General Assembly are trying to replicate the alleged day-care fraud scandal currently under investigation in Minnesota.
Heiens attached a copy of the bill with the caption: “Props to Democrats for submitting a one-page bill that simply says ‘make fraud legal.’ It’s almost like this bill was intentionally written to recreate the conditions for the Somali Daycare scandal.”
Heiens added, “This bill literally prohibits the state from verifying eligibility for federal public benefits when nonprofits distribute them, which essentially turns Virginia into a blind pass-through for federal aid. … We’re about to see a bunch of ‘Learing Centers’ pop up in Fairfax County.”
Hyperbole? Not really.
What other conclusion are we to draw?
By removing safeguards that block fraudsters from accessing public funds, Democrats are inviting abuse. Voters should be asking why they are pursuing these changes.
Here’s a theory: Like the Democrats in Minnesota, Virginia Democrats are inviting fraud because it serves their political interests. These lawmakers don’t care about fraudsters profiting from public funds. They believe that by tolerating this abuse of the system, they are creating a class of beneficiaries who will become politically beholden to them. These beneficiaries will then be more likely to support them at the ballot box to keep the gravy train going, and that will help them maintain their power.
I’d be interested to hear how our readers see it.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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