Rep. Kristin Robbins released a legislative update on April 29, outlining recent activities at the Minnesota House and addressing ongoing investigations into the Feeding Our Future scandal.
Robbins said the Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Policy Committee has continued to examine the Feeding Our Future case, which she described as “the biggest COVID scam in the country.” She raised questions about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s involvement in creating conditions that enabled fraud through her authorship of the Meals Act during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Robbins said, “Most Minnesotans are unaware that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar played a major role in creating Feeding Our Future, which turned about to be the biggest COVID scam in the country.”
According to Robbins, changes introduced by Omar’s bill removed guardrails from school nutrition programs, making it easier for restaurants to become child nutrition sites and removing income eligibility criteria. She stated that this allowed some establishments to improperly bill for meals intended for children in need. “She literally was on Somali TV, promoting Safari Restaurant as one of the meal sites and her role in passing the Meals Act,” Robbins said.
Robbins also expressed concern over Attorney General Keith Ellison’s absence from a committee hearing regarding his office’s actions related to Feeding Our Future lawsuits and charity oversight. She said Ellison claimed he did not have jurisdiction but noted his office represented state agencies involved with Feeding Our Future cases and oversaw charities connected to federal nutrition scams.
The update also mentioned ongoing work by the Minnesota House Taxes Committee on issues such as local option sales taxes and tax increment financing districts. Robbins discussed Governor Tim Walz’s proposed new tax on social media companies based on their Minnesota user base but questioned whether citizens’ data value should accrue to individuals rather than government.
In addition, Robbins highlighted recent events at the Capitol including visits from police chiefs during Chiefs of Police Association Day and Veterans Day on the Hill. She encouraged constituents to continue sharing their ideas or request meetings while providing contact information for her office.
