Influencer Nick Shirley has accused Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and his administration of allowing large-scale child care fraud, claiming that more than $110 million in taxpayer funds were improperly paid to child care centers that he alleges were not actually operating. Shirley made the allegations in a 42-minute video posted to X, which quickly gained widespread attention and went viral online.
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In the video, Shirley documents visits to several Minnesota child care facilities during a regular weekday. He and his crew claim that many of the locations appeared empty and nonoperational, despite being listed as active centers receiving public funding. While filming outside one facility, Shirley states that no staff or children were present, using the scene as what he described as evidence of widespread fraud.
One location Shirley specifically highlighted was a Minneapolis facility called Quality Learning Center. He pointed out that the word “learning” is misspelled as “learing” on the building’s exterior sign and claimed the center is licensed to care for approximately 99 children. According to Shirley, the facility appeared vacant at the time of his visit, raising questions in his view about whether it was actively providing child care services.
Shirley further alleged that Quality Learning Center received approximately $1.9 million in Child Care Assistance Program funding in 2025, in addition to millions of dollars in prior years. He presented these figures as part of a broader pattern that he claims indicates systemic misuse of public funds within Minnesota’s child care assistance system.
After publishing the video, Shirley directly blamed Governor Walz and his administration, asserting that state leadership bears responsibility for the alleged fraud. In posts on X, he claimed that neither Walz nor those he labeled as fraudsters would avoid accountability, adding that his team had uncovered what he described as over $110 million in fraudulent activity in a single day.[/read]