Ilhan Omar defends MEALS Act despite ties to massive Minnesota fraud scheme
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., said she has no regrets about supporting the MEALS Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the program becoming linked to Minnesota’s alleged $250 million "Feeding Our...
By Fox News · Fox News
Rep. Ilhan Omar , D-Minn., said she has no regrets about supporting the MEALS Act during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the program becoming linked to Minnesota’s alleged $250 million "Feeding Our Future" fraud scheme. "Do you regret pushing for that bill, the MEALS Act? Do you think it led to the fraud?" Nicholas Ballasy for Fox News Digital asked Omar on Capitol Hill. "Absolutely not, it did help feed kids," Omar said. Omar introduced the MEALS Act on March 11, 2020, to modify the Department of Agriculture's food and nutrition programs to allow certain waivers on requirements for school meal programs, including those that raised federal costs during school closures related to the pandemic. WALZ URGES NOEM TO 'REASSESS' IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT STRATEGY IN MINNESOTA AFTER ALLEGED CITIZEN ARRESTS Minnesota has faced scrutiny for alleged mismanagement of federal funds accessed through these waivers, including in distributing money for the "Feeding Our Future" program, which authorities believe to be the largest fraud scheme in the history of the pandemic. INSIDE MINNESOTA’S $1B FRAUD: FAKE OFFICES, PHONY FIRMS AND A SCANDAL HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT The scheme exploited the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s decision to waive many of its standard requirements for the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the pandemic, including relaxing its requirement for non-school-based distributors to participate in the program. Fox News Digital first reported on the status of the fraud in July. FBI Director Kash Patel described it at the time as "one of the worst" in Minnesota history — and as of November 2025, more than 75 individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, according to federal prosecutors. President Donald Trump has recently announced a flurry of new actions to crack down and investigate fraud schemes in Minnesota, which he has assailed as a "hub of money laundering activity," and cited as the basis of his decision to terminate deportation protections for…