A Minnesota Republican is intensifying demands for answers from Rep. Ilhan Omar after the congresswoman failed to attend a state hearing examining her alleged connections to a massive pandemic-era fraud case that has rocked the state.
The dispute centers on the sprawling Feeding Our Future scandal, a case prosecutors say siphoned off hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars meant to feed children during the COVID-19 crisis. Now, lawmakers want to know what role, if any, Omar played around the edges of the program.
Lawmaker Says Omar Ignored Committee Invitation
State Rep. Kristin Robbins, who chairs the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, sent Omar a formal letter on April 22 criticizing her absence from a scheduled hearing and demanding records tied to the case.
“Minnesotans and the Members of the House Fraud Prevention & State Oversight Committee were disappointed that you failed to appear before our committee to answer questions,” Robbins wrote in the letter, referring to Omar’s failure to attend a hearing focused on the MEALS Act, a federal COVID-19 relief measure passed in 2020 and sponsored by Omar.
Robbins said Omar’s office neither replied nor attempted to explain the no-show.
“She didn’t even respond, ghosted us,” Robbins said about Omar ignoring the invitation to testify. “And her Meals Act is what created the conditions that allowed Feeding Our Future to happen.”
When asked whether Omar had responded to earlier outreach efforts, Robbins added, “No, we’ve sent multiple emails, multiple letters, nothing.”
Broad Records Request Targets Communications
Despite Omar’s absence, Robbins said the committee still expects answers and has now formally requested a wide range of records from the congresswoman’s office.
The request seeks emails, text messages and meeting records related to Omar’s push for expanded access to federal child nutrition programs. It also asks for communications involving the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.
Meanwhile, Robbins is also requesting information tied to Omar’s public promotion of Safari Restaurant, a Minneapolis business later linked to the program.
According to the letter, Omar appeared on Somali-language television highlighting Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site. Lawmakers want all communications related to that video and the restaurant’s involvement.
Hearing Focused on Community Ties
During Tuesday’s committee meeting, lawmakers reportedly played the video as they discussed ties between Omar and members of the Minneapolis Somali community associated with the fraud case.
Robbins is additionally requesting records involving contact between Omar and numerous people charged or implicated in the Feeding Our Future investigation, including nonprofit founder Aimee Bock and other alleged co-conspirators.
The letter also asks for “any and all” communications involving donors who later faced charges in the case.
Deadline Set for Response
Robbins, who is currently running for governor of Minnesota, has given Omar until May 5 to provide a written response and turn over the requested materials.
That said, the letter marks a new phase in Republican-led scrutiny surrounding the scandal, which continues to generate political fallout across Minnesota.
Federal prosecutors have said the scheme stole hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded child nutrition aid during the pandemic. The case also sits within a broader fraud crisis in the state believed to involve tens of billions of dollars.
Omar Facing Other Controversies
Questions tied to the Minnesota fraud scandal are only one challenge now facing Omar.
She is also dealing with a possible ethics investigation involving her personal financial disclosures, along with accusations, including from Vice President JD Vance, that she committed immigration fraud.
Whether Omar responds by the May 5 deadline could shape the next chapter of an already explosive political battle.