GOP Links Omar With Growing Medicaid Fraud Scandal In MN Somali Community
Republican congressional candidate John Nagel is accusing Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of being deeply entangled in the $1 billion Feeding Our Future fraud scandal that exploded inside her Minneapolis-based congressional district, arguing that her own legislation helped create the conditions that allowed the massive scheme to flourish.
Nagel, who is challenging Omar in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District, told Townhall that the origins of the fraud trace back to legislation Omar introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Where did this actually start?” Nagel said. “She passed legislation. Her legislation actually started it, and it allowed people to get into Feeding Our Future.”
Nagel pointed to the striking geographic concentration of the fraud, which federal prosecutors say involved the theft of hundreds of millions — and potentially more than $1 billion — in taxpayer funds meant to feed children.
“If you look at where the fraud is, it’s primarily her district, the district that I’m running in against her,” Nagel said. “And it’s really odd to think that all the fraud just happened in a particular area.”
At the center of the controversy is the Maintaining Essential Access to Lunch for Students Act, known as the MEALS Act, which Omar introduced during pandemic-era school closures. The legislation allowed states to distribute free meals through alternative methods, such as grab-and-go programs, while loosening eligibility and oversight requirements. Omar has denied any wrongdoing related to the fraud, and the bill passed Congress with bipartisan support.
Nagel, however, alleges the relaxed rules created a perfect environment for abuse — and that people close to Omar financially benefited from the scheme.
He claimed Omar hosted campaign events at Safari Restaurant, a business later linked to the Feeding Our Future investigation, and alleged she had personal familiarity with one of the restaurant’s owners who has since been convicted. Nagel also asserted that a former Omar staffer was later convicted for involvement in the fraud, allegations Omar has not publicly addressed in detail.
The accusations gained national attention last week when Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) took to the Senate floor to condemn the Minnesota fraud scheme and blast both Omar and Democratic Gov. Tim Walz for what he described as willful negligence.
“Fox News recently reported that members of Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar’s inner circle, people working for her, were personally profiting from this fraud,” Tuberville said. “Omar held at least one event at one of the restaurants named in the massive fraud scheme. And by the way, one of Congresswoman Omar’s staffers has already been convicted for his role in the fraud. It runs very deep.”
Tuberville emphasized that the fraud occurred entirely within Omar’s district.
“All of this has taken place inside of Omar’s congressional district, and she’s doing everything she can to defend these Somali criminals,” he added.
The Alabama senator also accused Gov. Walz of empowering fraudulent nonprofit organizations tied to Minnesota’s Somali community and ignoring obvious warning signs.
“These people were empowered by the woke and clueless so-called governor Tim Walz, whose government handed the funds to these Somali criminals. He turned a blind eye,” Tuberville argued.
He cited one nonprofit that allegedly disguised itself as a housing assistance organization.
“For example, one of the scams run by the Somali nonprofit disguised itself as a housing assistance program. Sounds great,” Tuberville said. “The initial budget for this program was $2.6 million. However, the annual budget quickly increased to over $100 million due to fake billing and fraud. And whose money is that? The American taxpayers.”
Tuberville went even further, arguing that Walz should face criminal consequences for his role in allowing the fraud to grow unchecked.
“Tim Walz had every opportunity to see this, investigate, and stop this fraud and corruption,” Tuberville said. “Instead, he looked the other way. That makes him complicit. He should go to jail for this. Anybody else would. Now he’s trying to deflect by calling those who are angry about the Somali fraud ‘racist.’ That’s the word they always use.”
“This has nothing to do with racism,” Tuberville added. “Somali immigrants stole more than $1 billion and counting from the American taxpayers. Again, proven. That should make every single American’s blood boil.”
As the Feeding Our Future prosecutions continue, Nagel says voters deserve answers — not excuses — from a congresswoman whose district became ground zero for one of the largest pandemic-era fraud schemes in U.S. history.