Kevin Kiley takes aim at Gavin Newsom, calls California the ‘fraud capital of America’

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Representative Kevin Kiley is no longer staying silent. He has openly pushed back against Governor Gavin Newsom. Kiley said that under Newsom’s administration, California has become the 'fraud capital of America.' He shared a video of his interview on X, where he strongly criticized Newsom. 

The post included the caption, "Newsom increased the budget by $124 billion yet we now lead the nation in poverty, unemployment, and homelessness.” Kiley also said that Californians are suffering because of “Gavin’s mismanagement.”

He made these remarks in response to Newsom’s statement that California has been 'DOGE but better' for 'literally six years.'

Kevin Kiley breaks his silence as state audit fuels ‘fraud capital of America’ claim 

During an interview with Newsmax, Kevin Kiley launched a sharp attack on California Governor Newsom and his record in office. Speaking during the interview, he said, “I mean, as bad as things are in Minnesota, it pales in comparison to what Gavin Newsom has done in California. And you don’t need to take my word for that. You can take the word of California’s own nonpartisan state auditor.”

He continued by citing official findings, adding, “As you say, this audit found that the number of high-risk agencies in California doubled during Newsom’s tenure as governor. These are agencies that are ripe for fraud or mismanagement.”

Kiley went on to describe the financial fallout of that mismanagement. He said, “They failed to take corrective steps, costing taxpayers millions and billions of dollars. And this is all on top of the truly incredible examples of fraud that we already knew about, like the high-speed rail project, which has spent $18 billion in 17 years and has not built any track whatsoever, and the $24 billion spent on homelessness in the state.”

He pointed to additional findings from the audit, stating, “The auditor also found that the state just lost track of that money as homelessness soared. Thirty-two billion dollars was lost to unemployment insurance fraud. A third of community college applications were fraudulent. So the list goes on and on and on.”

Kiley added, “It would be funny if it wasn’t so tragic.” Continuing his criticism, Kiley highlighted another costly failure. He said, “Californians have been paying a surcharge on their phone bills for many years to fund an upgraded 911 system. Just a couple of weeks ago, they announced that those fees added up to $650 million, but the entire project is being scrapped.”

He described the situation bluntly, adding, “The incompetence is just stunning, and I could not think of a more farcical statement than the one you just quoted from our governor during his tenure.”

Kiley also criticized the state’s expanding budget, saying, “The state’s overall budget has increased by 50 percent. We’re talking about well over $100 billion, yet the quality of government services has declined dramatically.”

He concluded by saying, “California is now number one in the country in poverty, homelessness, unemployment, and the burden of taxes. The story is always the same. Californians sacrifice the most, and we get the least in return because of Gavin Newsom’s mismanagement.”

Gavin Newsom highlights AI plans, calls California ‘DOGE but better’ 

During a press conference in Los Angeles, Gavin Newsom outlined new steps to use artificial intelligence to improve government efficiency, including agreements to employ generative AI for easing highway congestion, enhancing traffic safety, and supporting customer services.

Addressing critics and drawing a contrast with Elon Musk’s dramatic cost-cutting methods, Newsom quipped, “We’re DOGE but better.” He used the remark to highlight California’s innovative approach.