❓WHAT HAPPENED: The House Oversight Committee has expanded its investigation into allegations of widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs, which prosecutors claim could amount to billions of dollars.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D), Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison (D), federal prosecutors, and several current and former Minnesota state officials.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Letters were sent on December 22 requesting interviews with officials. Investigations are ongoing in Minnesota.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Whistleblowers have made it clear that American taxpayers were defrauded in Minnesota, raising serious questions about whether Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison failed to act or were complicit in the theft.” – James Comer.
🎯IMPACT: Federal prosecutors have charged individuals with stealing over $240 million, and the investigation has widened to multiple state-run programs, potentially implicating senior officials.
The House Oversight Committee has expanded its investigation into alleged fraud within Minnesota’s social services programs, issuing requests for interviews with current and former state officials and seeking cooperation from federal agencies. Chairman James Comer (R-KY) sent letters to seven Minnesota officials asking them to participate in transcribed interviews scheduled for late January and early February 2026. The committee also contacted Attorney General Pam Bondi and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to request federal assistance with the inquiry.
One of the letters was addressed to Emily Honer, director of Nutrition Program Services at the Minnesota Department of Education. It stated, “The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is investigating reports of widespread fraud in Minnesota’s social services programs. As the Director of Nutrition Program Services and in your previous roles… you have information that will assist the Committee’s investigation.” Honer was asked to appear for an interview on January 26, 2026.
The investigation follows federal prosecutions tied to the Minnesota-based, Somali-run nonprofit Feeding Our Future, where prosecutors allege more than $240 million was stolen from the Federal Child Nutrition Program during the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities say defendants submitted false meal claims and diverted taxpayer funds to luxury purchases and overseas investments, including real estate in Nairobi, Kenya, and possible transfers to Somalia. Some funds may have passed through regions where the jihadist group Al-Shabaab operates.
As the probe widened, investigators began examining other Minnesota programs, including Medicaid, which has paid out roughly $18 billion since 2018. Federal officials and investigators estimate that a significant portion of those funds may have been obtained fraudulently. Recent court filings and reporting suggest that total losses tied to Minnesota social services fraud, much of it linked to Somali-run networks, could approach $9 billion.
Several Somali background suspects have pleaded guilty in recent months. In one case, a woman admitted to stealing millions through Medicaid and food assistance fraud. Prosecutors have described the schemes as interconnected, with some defendants involved in multiple programs simultaneously.
The scale of the fraud has raised questions about oversight by state leadership, including whether Governor Tim Walz (D) and Attorney General Keith Ellison (D) were aware of the problems earlier. Whistleblowers allege that Walz’s administration quashed early attempts to expose the scandal and threatened them with retaliation.
Walz has admitted responsibility for the situation, stating, “This is on my watch. I am accountable for this. And more importantly, I am the one that will fix it.”
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