Rep. Ilhan Omar said Wednesday that any claim she knew about the fraud scheme tied to the Feeding Our Future scandal was “flat-out false,” as she sought to shut down fresh questions over her role in the controversy. Her written statement came as Minnesota lawmakers continued to press for answers about how a federally backed nutrition program became entangled in one of the state’s biggest public corruption cases.
Omar said the MEALS Act, which she sponsored, was signed into law by President Trump and passed with bipartisan support as part of a broader legislative package. She said Trump’s USDA secretary set the regulatory framework during the program’s rollout and that she immediately sent a letter demanding answers and accountability when the fraud came to light. “As I stated from the beginning, stealing millions of dollars under the guise of feeding hungry children to bankroll lavish lifestyles and extravagant expenses is reprehensible,” Omar said, adding that she was grateful Aimee Bock and everyone involved were being held accountable.
The dispute centers on the MEALS Act, which a Minnesota House report last week said “took the guardrails off” federal nutrition programs by allowing for-profit restaurants to participate and permitting grab-and-go meals. The same report accused Gov. Tim Walz’s administration of fostering a “culture of tolerance” that allowed fraudsters to steal billions in taxpayer dollars overall. Lawmakers say Omar’s sponsorship of the act left her questions to answer after the program became linked to a fraud that prosecutors say siphoned off $250 million.
Omar was invited to testify before the Minnesota House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee about what she knew, but the committee said she never responded. An effort to subpoena information from her was blocked by Democrats on the panel. Minnesota State Rep. Kristin Robbins, who has demanded answers from Omar, said the questions remain tied to the lawmaker’s possible connection to the Feeding Our Future case, even after one defendant was sentenced to 50 years in prison.
The latest round of scrutiny lands as Omar also faces a House Ethics Committee investigation over changes in her financial disclosures that reduced her family’s reported wealth from up to $30 million to less than $100,000. Her denial puts the burden back on critics to show more than political association, but the Minnesota report keeps the spotlight on how a law meant to help feed children ended up at the center of a massive fraud case.
