FACT CHECK: Ads fault Minnesota state senators Hauschild, Kupec on fraud vote they later backed

A Republican-backed ad campaign accuses DFL state Sens. Grant Hauschild and Rob Kupec of opposing fraud prevention measures. However, the attack relies on procedural floor votes while ignoring the fact that both senators voted to pass a landmark anti-fraud bill that put accountability measures into state law.

Advance Minnesota — funded primarily by GOPAC ($1.1 million) and the Republican State Leadership Committee ($350,000) — launched digital ads claiming Hauschild and Kupec “voted against common sense measures to hold state agencies accountable for failing to stop fraud.” The ads point to votes taken by the senators on April 25, 2025, when they rejected amendment A59 offered by Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa). While this amendment addressed fraud, elements of it were later written into Senate File 856, which Hauschild and Kupec voted for.

What the lawmakers actually enacted

Hauschild and Kupec voted “yes” on final passage of SF 856, which established the Office of the Inspector General. The independent office will oversee fraud prevention efforts in the state, investigate entities who administer state programs and inspect recipients of public funds. The final enacted law also includes nearly the exact language from Drazkowski’s amendment. By supporting the finalized bill, both senators helped enact the specific accountability rules that Advance Minnesota’s ads accused them of blocking.

After Hauschild, Kupec and the state Senate approved SF 856 in May 2025, it stalled in the state House for over a year. Last January, Hauschild said creating the Inspector General’s office was the “biggest priority” for the 2026 session. Before the House finally approved the bill on May 7, Hauschild pushed for $75 million to modernize county IT systems as part of the anti-fraud measures.

Gov. Tim Walz (DFL) signed the bill into law on May 14.