Minnesota House Democrats blocked a Republican effort to subpoena U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday over her office's communications related to the state's $250 million Feeding Our Future child nutrition fraud scandal.

The House Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy Committee, chaired by Rep. Kristin Robbins (R-Maple Grove), considered the motion during its final meeting before the legislative session ends in less than two weeks. The subpoena sought emails, texts, and records of meetings between Omar's staff and Feeding Our Future executives, including convicted ringleader Aimee Bock, as well as promotions of implicated sites like the Safari Restaurant. The vote failed 5-3, with all five Republicans in favor and Democrats opposed. A two-thirds majority of six votes was required under the chamber's tied-House agreement.

Omar's office had ignored multiple invitations to testify, including at an April 22 hearing, and missed a May 5 deadline to produce the documents. The requests stemmed from federal trial exhibits showing communications, such as a February 2021 email chain between Bock and Omar deputy district director Ali Isse on USDA food programs, and texts recovered from Bock's phone.

Republicans linked Omar to the fraud through her sponsorship of the MEALS Act (H.R. 6187) in March 2020. The COVID-19 relief bill waived USDA requirements for school nutrition programs, allowing nonprofits like Feeding Our Future to claim reimbursements for meals that were never served. Omar promoted the measure to Somali constituents and appeared on Somali TV at Safari Restaurant, a fraudulent site, praising its role in feeding families.

"Rep. Omar had some role, whether inadvertent or not," Robbins said. "She passed the MEALS Act... which took the guardrails off the federal school nutrition program, which created the conditions for Feeding Our Future." She noted the committee has received hundreds of whistleblower reports on fraud and plans to pursue investigations outside official hearings.

Rep. Dave Pinto (DFL-St. Paul), the committee's lead Democrat, opposed the subpoena, arguing the session's end left no time for action and that federal authorities under the Trump administration could investigate if warranted.

The Feeding Our Future scheme, the largest known COVID-era fraud, involved defrauding federal child nutrition funds of $250 million. Defendants claimed to serve millions of meals to low-income children but used proceeds for luxury items. Dozens have been charged; Bock was convicted in March 2025.

Omar's office has not responded to the committee or media requests for comment on the subpoena effort. Robbins indicated she would explore federal options, including asking Congress to issue a subpoena, since the funds were federal. "The federal government has a whole menu of legal options," she said.

Rep. Isaac Schultz (R-Elmdale Township) emphasized the need for transparency to combat Minnesota's "industrial scale web of fraud." The committee, formed in February 2025, has used subpoenas sparingly, only for ethics probes previously.