Mississippi's auditor says $1.5 million of $96.3 million in misspent welfare funds has been recovered, and that the attorney general has taken no action on 95 of 103 other demand cases
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State Auditor Shad White's July 31, 2026 Audit Exceptions Report says only $18,000 was recovered in the past fiscal year on civil demands totaling $96.3 million over federal public assistance (TANF) funds misspent at the Mississippi Department of Human Services; Mississippi Today reports the total recovered so far is $1.5 million. The report also says that, excluding that case, his office has issued demands in 103 cases that have not been paid in full, sent them to the attorney general to initiate litigation, and that no action has been taken by the attorney general on 95 of the 103 cases, with an outstanding balance of about $15.8 million. The auditor states he cannot prosecute demands in court. The attorney general's office says it has been active in collecting misspent funds and prosecuting corruption cases; its chief of staff said that of 22 demand letters referred last year, six were closed and 15 have criminal cases pending. In June the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled that the power to sue to recover misspent funds belongs to the attorney general.
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