Rep Omar has no regrets on bill linked to Feeding Our Future fraud
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she has no regrets about supporting the MEALS Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the program being linked to Minnesota’s $250 million “Feeding Our Future” fraud scheme.
“Do you regret introducing the bill called the MEALS Act? Do you think it led to fraud?” Fox News Digital’s Nicholas Ballasy asked Omar on Capitol Hill.
“Absolutely not, it helped feed the kids,” Omar said.
Omer Introduced the MEALS Law On March 11, 2020, it was agreed to amend the Department of Agriculture’s food and nutrition programs to allow certain waivers of requirements for school meal programs, including those that increase federal costs during pandemic-related school closures.
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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she has “absolutely no” regrets about the FOOD Act of 2020 because it “helps feed kids.” (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)
Minnesota has faced scrutiny for alleged mismanagement of federal funds accessed through those exemptions, including doling out money for the “Feeding Our Future” program in what authorities believe was the largest fraud scheme in pandemic history.
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The plan leveraged the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to waive most of its standard requirements for the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the pandemic, including relaxing the requirement for non-school distributors to participate in the program.
Fox News Digital was informed about the situation for the first time Fraud incident in July. FBI Director Kash Patel called it “one of the worst” in Minnesota history at the time, and as of November 2025, more than 75 people had been charged in connection with the scheme, according to federal prosecutors.
Minister Donald Trump He recently announced a series of new actions to crack down on and investigate fraud schemes in Minnesota, which he called a “hub of money laundering activity” and cited as the basis for his decision to end deportation protections for hundreds of Somali immigrants.
Republican Lisa Demuth, Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in St. He speaks at a news conference in the governor’s reception room at the Minnesota Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (Minnesota Star Tribune via Jerry Holt/Getty Images)
Senior Trump administration officials announced this month that the Treasury Department would launch new investigations, including a new investigation into how taxpayer dollars were allegedly directed to the terrorist organization Al Shabaab, according to Secretary Scott Bessent.
Trump and other officials have focused on these alleged fraud schemes, arguing that the criminal activity was a result of mismanagement and “incompetence” by Democrat and former vice presidential candidate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
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“It’s not surprising that the president would choose to target an entire society in general,” Walz said of Trump’s efforts, adding: “That’s what he’s doing to change the subject.”
The conspirators falsely claimed to have served millions of meals during the pandemic, instead using the money for personal gain. They are also accused of issuing invoices, submitting false attendance records and fraudulently distributing thousands of meals from hundreds of so-called food distribution “sites” across the state.
Some of these individuals are part of the Somali diaspora in Minnesota, the largest diaspora in the United States, but the ringleader of the scheme is not.
“Theft “Theft from the federal government is tantamount to stealing from the American people; nothing could be simpler than that,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin Winston told Fox News Digital.
The sun will shine on Monday, February 12, 2024 in St. It shines at the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
Charging documents show that nearly 300 “food establishments” in the state serve little or no food, with so-called “food vendors” and money-laundering organizations aimed at covering the cost of feeding children.
FBI officials He told Fox News that the investigation and the resulting lawsuits and charges continue to impact the state and mark the beginning of legislative reform in Minnesota.
They added that the investigation into the fraud is ongoing and additional charges are expected, but did not immediately share further details.
“The egregious fraud revealed in the Feeding Our Future case is an example of a profound betrayal of the public trust,” Patel told Fox News Digital earlier this year.
“These individuals embezzled hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to feed vulnerable children in times of crisis and diverted those resources to luxury homes, luxury vehicles and extravagant lifestyles as families faced hardship,” he added.
President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable meeting in the White House Cabinet Room on Monday, December 8, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Trump earlier this month suggested that Omar, who fled Somalia as a child, “should not be allowed to be a member of Congress,” prompting a fierce reaction from some Democrats and Minnesota’s congressional delegation.
Omar said Trump’s words were “despicable”.
“His obsession with me is creepy,” she said on social media. “I hope he gets the help he desperately needs.”
ICE REJECTED THE CLAIM THAT ÖMAR’S SON WAS WITHDRAWN BY THE FED, PRESSURE WAS PUT ON PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP: ‘Absolutely ZERO RECORD’
Ballasy then pressed Omar about another incident that made headlines.
“Congressman, the ICE director now says your son was not pulled over by ICE. He says there is no evidence,” Ballasy told Omar on Capitol Hill.
President Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Omar denied the viral claim that her son was pressured by agency staff for proof of U.S. citizenship after he stopped at a Minnesota Target over the weekend.
Omer I told CBS’ Twin Cities affiliate HE his son was exposed He encountered a traffic stop-type encounter from ICE agents, but was eventually released without further trouble after being able to produce a U.S. passport or passport card.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons speaks at a news conference at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston on June 2. (Suzanne Kreiter/Boston Globe via Getty Images)
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons walked back the claim on Tuesday, telling Fox News Digital that the incident never happened.
“How do they know this?” Ömer objected. “How do they know that? Is he saying he has documents on all the people they seized? Because we wanted that information. We couldn’t get that information from them, so if ICE is now confirming that they collected data and refusing to provide it to members of Congress, then that’s an interesting admission.”
“ICE has no record of its officers or agents seizing Congresswoman Omar’s son,” Lyons said.
“It speaks volumes that Congresswoman Omar balanced this accusation with absolutely zero evidence.”
Lyons said Omar’s comments to the local outlet were a “ridiculous effort” to demonize federal law enforcement. He also said his rhetoric contributed to an increase in threats against ICE personnel, citing a 1,150% increase in attacks and an 8,000% increase in death threats.
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When you’re asked to respond Omar told Ballasy of Lyons’ comment: “Their oppression has terrorized my community, so they need to stop.”
