Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minnesota, declined to respond to a Minnesota committee’s request for more information about her ties to the state’s massive fraud scandal, leading to a failed subpoena vote on Tuesday, but the committee chair said more options exist.
The subpoena required a two-thirds vote of the committee to pass, and despite Republicans’ majority on the committee, they received only five of the six votes needed.
“We have reached out to Rep. Ilhan Omar multiple times to invite her to testify and to invite and request documents,” state Rep. Christine Robbins, chair of the House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Committee, said before the vote. “We have worked in many ways to obtain [information] Because as we all know, Congressman Omar played some role, whether it was unintentional or not. She passed the MEALS Act in March 2020, which removed barriers to federal school nutrition programs and created a [fraud]”.
WATCH: Ilhan Omar criticized for resurfacing brutal video about ‘World War 11’
FBI agents raided the offices of the Minnesota nonprofit Feeding Our Future, accusing its partners of defrauding the federal government of millions of dollars. A week later, on Thursday, January 27, 2022, FBI agents saw evidence of the raid at their offices in St. Anthony, Minnesota. Agents also raided the home of Aimee Bock, executive director of Feeding Our Future.
(Getty Images)
“I do think the subpoena is important. It’s one of dozens if not hundreds of things that we’re investigating. We’ve received hundreds of whistleblower reports. They’re coming in every week,” Robbins added, noting that she would continue to try to contact Omar’s office to gain cooperation. “Although the committee will no longer hold formal hearings, we will continue to investigate these whistleblowers and the fraudulent network.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Robbins on Tuesday about possible next steps.
Read it on the Fox News app
“They’re disappearing,” Robbins said of the committee’s options after the subpoena vote failed. “But I will certainly be talking to my friends in Congress to see if they’re willing to issue a subpoena. I don’t know if they are, but they will have the same powers and it will still be relevant to them because this is a federal program that was deceived. So I don’t know if they’re willing to do that, but it’s worth asking. “
Robbins added that the federal government has “a whole range of legal options” given that Omar is a member of Congress.
“They have so many investigations going on, I don’t know where this falls on the list of priorities,” Robbins said.
Omar accused by Republican opponents of opening door to massive fraud in Minneapolis: ‘Deep ties’
Minnesota Rep. Christine Robbins (L) delivers opening statements with Minnesota Rep. Walter Hudson during a hearing of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee on the Trump administration’s decision to freeze $10 billion in child care funds for low-income families in California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York at the U.S. Capitol on January 7, 2026 in Washington, DC.
Robbins said last month the committee was “overshadowed” by the congresswoman’s failure to testify at hearings on the meals bill. The MEALS Act is a federal COVID-19 relief measure passed in 2020 and sponsored by Omar.
“Minnesotans and members of the House Fraud Prevention and State Oversight Committee are disappointed in your failure to appear before our committee to answer questions,” Robbins wrote before asking Omar to turn over communications showing how she pushed to expand coverage of federal child nutrition programs, including emails, text messages and minutes of meetings with the Minnesota Department of Education and constituents.
The request also targets Omar’s public promotion of a Minneapolis restaurant that was later linked to the scheme. Robbins cited a Somali-language television appearance in which Omar highlighted Safari Restaurant as a meal distribution site and asked for all communications related to the video and the restaurant’s involvement.
Click here to download the Fox News app
Robbins is seeking any records of contact between Omar and a long list of individuals charged or implicated in the Feed Our Future case, including nonprofit founder Amy Bock and dozens of alleged co-conspirators.
The deadline for Omar to answer the committee’s questions is Tuesday, May 5.
Rep. Ilhan Omar speaks at the Carmel Mall on January 28, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Fox Digital News reached out to Omar’s office for comment.
“It’s the same story every time,” Robbins Posted on X After voting. “Fraud continues, information is suppressed and dysfunction continues.”
Original source of the article: Minnesota lawmakers’ attempt to get Omar to testify about alleged fraud fails, Republican leaders talk next steps