“Proud transphobe” Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) asked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) to define what a woman is while questioning him at a hearing today in front of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. Walz refused to do so, saying, “I’m not here to be your prop for your obsession.”

The Republican-led committee ostensibly summoned Walz to discuss mass welfare fraud allegations that have occurred in his state. Minnesota’s Attorney General Keith Ellison is currently prosecuting about 100 individuals who stole hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds by setting up companies that billed state agencies for services they never provided.

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However, in his opening statement, Walz said, “The people of Minnesota have been singled out and targeted for political retribution at an unparalleled scale, including blocking Medicaid reimbursements to our state just last week.” The Trump administration blocked $260 million in Medicaid funding to the state, straining medical providers and poorer patients statewide.

While the federal government has said it will release the funds only after Minnesota submits and implements a comprehensive corrective action plan to address fraud, waste, and abuse, Minnesota has sued, alleging that the congressionally approved funds are being withheld illegally and are punishing elderly, disabled, and veteran patients who rely on Medicare-funded community providers for care.

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“Let me be clear: In Minnesota, if you defraud public programs, if you steal taxpayer money, we’ll find you, we’ll prosecute you, we’ll convict you, and we’ll throw you in jail,” Walz said in his opening statement while sitting near Ellison.

During questioning, Mace asked Walz if he had learned anything from his experience testifying in front of the committee in January. Walz replied, “I did. [I learned] that if I didn’t speak up, two of my people would be dead, congresswoman — and I warned you.”

He was referring to Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the queer mother of three and ICU nurse for veterans who were both killed by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis earlier this year.

Mace replied by asking, “What is a woman? Did you learn that lesson? Do you know what a woman is?”

Walz answered, “I’m the governor of Minnesota, Congresswoman. I’m not here to be your prop for your obsession.”

“So if you can’t define what a woman is, you certainly can’t define what fraud is,” Mace said. She was just one of several Republicans at the hearing who accused Walz of either being too incompetent or willfully neglectful to stop fraud in his state.

Mace: I hope you learned some lessons from your last hearing.

Walz: I did—that if I didn’t speak up, two of my people would be dead.

Mace: Ok, what is a woman?

Walz: I’m the governor of Minnesota, I’m not here to be the prop for your obsession. pic.twitter.com/m2cCLXiyc5

— Acyn (@Acyn) March 4, 2026

Later in her questioning, Mace wrote various monetary and percentage figures on a whiteboard and began questioning Walz about them. When Walz refused once again to be her prop, she accused him of not being able to answer basic math questions about fraud in his state.

Walz then asked Mace where her state ranked in terms of fraud; public rankings of fraud in each state vary due to the many different types of fraud.

“Do you even care about kids in Minnesota?” Mace asked.

“They rank near the top in every category,” Walz said. “Where does South Carolina rank? My children are fed. My children are housed. My children have healthcare. My children have the best schools.”

South Carolina frequently ranks in the bottom quartile for child well-being, placing 38th overall in the 2025 Kids Count Data Book for child well-being. While showing slight improvement, the state consistently ranks poorly in areas like education (43rd), child care (45th), and general family safety, often cited as one of the worst states to raise a family.

By the same measure, Minnesota ranks 5th best in the U.S. for overall child well-being.

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