Julie Blaha (DFL): 2022 Election Guide
Welcome to WCCO.com's 2022 Election Guide!
We reached out to all Minnesota candidates running for U.S Congress this fall, as well as all statewide contests. Candidates were asked to provide a two-minute video discussing their platform as well as answer a set of political questions.
Below are the answers State Auditor candidate Julie Blaha provided. She did not provide a video..
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In the wake of alleged fraud related to COVID relief funds, what needs to be done to continue investigating fraud of this kind and magnitude, and uncover just how much of it occurred?
Recent fraud allegations have laid bare the consequences of former President Trump's defunding of federal oversight agencies. We see that cuts to the Inspectors General offices and the FBI have caused delays in pursuing investigations to stop fraud in federal programs.
This is not merely a federal issue though. Minnesota oversight agencies have been starved over the past decades. For instance, the OSA has seen a 40% reduction since Mark Dayton was state auditor. We need to ensure oversight authorities have the resources they need to properly investigate issues. We need to heed the warning from the federal level and bolster state and local oversight resources so we don't have the same shortfalls. That's why I continue to pursue expanding our school audit capacity and increase the size of our Special Investigations Division.
In addition, we need elected officials with the discipline to stay focused on their specific mission and avoid grandstanding for self promotion. My Republican opponent says he would have inserted himself into a number of federal investigations where the OSA has no authority or resources. While that may have gotten him self promoting headlines, it would have sacrificed the vital local work the OSA does, and could have jeopardized convictions.
What's one area in Minnesota that you regard as underfunded?
One of my initiatives was called "The State of Main Street" where I brought together county, city, and township staff, officials, and neighbors to help us analyze local financial trends. Together, we uncovered that state funds for local government - specifically Local Government Aid (LGA), County Program Aid (CPA), and Township Aid - are falling behind inflation.
Local governments have scrambled to replace this funding while trying to avoid raising property taxes. We also found that when local entities can make long term plans, funds are used more efficiently and effectively. Those ideas together compel Minnesota legislators to consider inflation's effects on these funds more aggressively so local government budgets are more predictable and stable.
What is the state auditor's role in oversight of how COVID-19 relief money was spent?
Because the OSA focuses on local government, our office picked up additional oversight primarily through our local government audits, particularly at the county and city level.
When an entity receives over a certain level of federal funding, generally $750,000, additional requirements and auditing are needed. As a result of the CARES and ARPA federal funding plans, many local governments hit this threshold for the first time during the pandemic.
We not only assessed if they followed the rules, we also helped interpret new rules and supported building effective financial structures they can use when facing similar challenges in the future.
Because of our success with this oversight, this year we took on what is called the Statewide Single Audit: the audit of about $20 billion in federal funds spent at the state level. This audit was previously conducted by the Office of the Legislative Auditor and is the first expansion of OSA oversight in nearly twenty years.
Do you believe Joe Biden is the legitimately elected President of the United States?
Yes. He won a free and fair election.
Should politicians be allowed to trade stocks?
I support limiting politicians' ability to trade stocks to ensure both the effect and appearance that they are free of undue corporate influence. In addition, I support expanding financial disclosure for elected officials so Minnesotans can judge their officials for themselves.