Fact Check: Did Tim Walz give $8B to Somali company to investigate fraud?

WASHINGTON, DC: As investigators ramp up efforts to uncover a major fraud case tied to Minnesota’s Somali community, a claim has spread quickly online. The rumor alleges that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz approved an $8 billion grant to a Somali company to investigate the fraud.

The claim gained traction in late December 2025 as reports about a large tax fraud scheme circulated widely, leading many people to mistakenly believe the story was true.

What is the rumor about Tim Walz?

A Facebook page called “The Democrat Clown Show” helped spread the claim by sharing a screenshot from The Babylon Bee that carried the headline, “Walz announces $8 Billion Grant to Somali Company to Investigate Fraud.” The rumor then spread quickly on X, where users reposted the same headline and linked it to the Babylon Bee article.

The article claimed, "In response to growing allegations of fraud tied to Minnesota's Somali community, Governor Tim Walz announced he had awarded an $8 billion grant to a Somali company to find the perpetrators." 

It also included a quoted statement attributed to Walz, in which he said, "I'm sparing no expense to find those responsible," Governor Walz announced. "That's why I'm consulting with a Somali private detective agency. They know when to run a mean pick-six. They also run a nifty daycare center."

Tim Walz did not give $8B to a Somali company

While some internet users believed the story and shared the link, it is false for several reasons. 

Searches using combinations of keywords like “Tim Walz,” “8 billion,” “Somali company,” and “investigating fraud” returned no credible news reports. 

On December 28, amid growing reports of Somali tax fraud schemes, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that the agency had “surged” investigations into fraudulent benefit claims in Minnesota. If Governor Walz had approved an $8 billion grant, major news websites would have reported it, but none did.

The rumor actually started with The Babylon Bee, a well-known Christian satire website. The Facebook screenshot included the site’s logo, confirming its source. On its About page, The Babylon Bee describes itself as “the world’s best satire site” and emphasizes that it writes humorous takes on Christian life, politics, and everyday events.

The page jokingly claims the site was created “on the eighth day of the creation week, exactly 6,000 years ago” and has covered every major historical event, focusing “just on the facts” while leaving spin to other news outlets.

It even adds, "If you would like to complain about something on our site, take it up with God. Unlike other satire sites, everything we post is 100% verified by Snopes.com."