Ilhan Omar says she's frustrated since Somalis are also victims in 'Feeding Our Future' scam

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Ilhan Omar says she's frustrated since Somalis are also victims in 'Feeding Our Future' scam

Omar says she and other Somalis are 'upset and angry' about the fraud

David Rutz Fox News

Published

December 7, 2025 4:40pm EST

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Omar expresses frustration over fraud scheme in Minnesota, says Somalis are taxpayers also

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., expressed frustration with the fraud scheme allegedly perpetrated by dozens of Somali community members.

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Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., expressed frustration Sunday with the framing of the massive "Feeding Our Future" fraud scheme that's embroiled members of the Somali community in her state, saying many Somalis were victims as well since they could have benefited from the program.

"Face the Nation" host Margaret Brennan called the extent of the scam "shocking," noting it was the Biden-era Department of Justice that said it was the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation and the majority of the reported offenders were Somalis, adding to the "spotlight" on Omar's community.

"Why do you think this fraud was allowed to get so widespread?" Brennan asked.

"I want to say this also has an impact on Somalis, because we are also taxpayers in Minnesota," Omar said. "We also could have benefited from the program and the money that was stolen. So it's been really frustrating for people to not acknowledge the fact that we're also, as Minnesotans, as taxpayers, really upset and angry about the fraud that has occurred."

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has condemned the brazen fraud in Minnesota as "reprehensible." (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA’S ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ FRAUD AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S LATEST CRACKDOWN

Brennan asked Omar if there had been a failure by the Minnesota state government, which is dominated by Democrats.

"That is what I alluded to in my letter that I had sent to the Secretary of AG was to see where things were going wrong. How can this amount of money disappear fraudulently without there being alarms set off?" Omar asked. "And it is something that, you know, we have to continue to investigate. We have to continue to ask those questions."

President Donald Trump and other officials have zeroed in on this and other alleged fraud schemes in recent weeks, arguing that the criminal activity is a result of mismanagement and "incompetence" from Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat and former vice presidential candidate.

Rep. Ilhan Omar criticizes President Trump’s ‘garbage’ comments about Somalis

Video

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Trump and Omar have traded barbs in recent days as well, with Trump calling Somalis "garbage" and saying they should return to their home country. Omar and other critics have called the remarks bigoted and said Trump is trying to distract from his own policy failings.

The back-and-forth comes as Minnesota has come under fresh scrutiny for alleged mismanagement of federal funds, including in distributing money for the nonprofit "Feeding Our Future" program.

Prosecutors have labeled the fraud scheme in the state as the largest pandemic fraud scheme in the country, stemming from allegations that the Minnesota nonprofit and its associates defrauded federal child-nutrition programs for hundreds of millions of dollars in COVID-19 aid.

The New York Times reported last month, "Over the last five years, law enforcement officials say, fraud took root in pockets of Minnesota’s Somali diaspora as scores of individuals made small fortunes by setting up companies that billed state agencies for millions of dollars’ worth of social services that were never provided."

Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

$1 BILLION REPORTEDLY STOLEN IN FRAUD UNDER MINNESOTA GOV. WALZ

Omar said she was one of the first members of Congress who inquired about what she called a "reprehensible" scam.

Omar previously told local outlet KARE 11 News, "The alleged fraud scheme orchestrated by ‘Feeding Our Future’ is reprehensible. Using the guise of feeding children to funnel millions of dollars toward extravagant expenses is abhorrent, and anyone who participated in this scheme must be held accountable."

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Fox News Digital's Brenna Deppisch and Hanna Panreck contributed to this report.

David Rutz is a senior editor at Fox News. Follow him on Twitter at @davidrutz.

Ilhan Omar says she's frustrated since Somalis are also victims in 'Feeding Our Future' scam