[Source](https://www.oann.com/newsroom/rfk-jr-cms-pausing-1b-in-medicaid-payments-to-minn-and-calif-over-suspected-fraud-noncompliance/) > Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) was pausing Medicaid payments amounting to over $1 billion to Minnesota and California for suspected fraud and noncompliance. > In a Tuesday press conference alongside CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz, Kennedy said CMS was stopping the payments until the blue states could provide documentation that the funds were being used legitimately. > Kennedy stated that federal officials used advanced data analytics to flag suspicious activity and potential Medicaid fraud in both states. Kennedy noted that $199 million in deferred funding for Minnesota was tied to 14 high-risk service areas previously identified by state auditors, while $867.5 million withheld from California primarily involved in-home care programs. > Both states have faced intense scrutiny over program integrity, with independent media investigations and state audits alleging widespread fraud across various taxpayer-funded social service programs.