On Tuesday, Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), joined by six House Republicans, sent a letter to Minnesota Commissioner of Education Willie Jett questioning the Minnesota Department of Education’s role in what has been described as the “largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation.” The letter comes after the U.S. Attorney charged 60 individuals associated with Feeding Our Future with allegedly defrauding the United States Department of Agriculture of over $250 million—money intended for feeding hungry children.
In the letter, the members write: “The U.S. Attorney has charged 60 individuals with federal crimes for benefiting personally from an illegal scheme that diverted $250 million of Federal Child Nutrition Program funds away from feeding hungry children. Given these disturbing events impacting some of our nation’s most vulnerable, we write today for information as we continue our oversight of the USDA’s and the Minnesota Department of Education’s (MDE) administration of Federal Child Nutrition Programs and Feeding Our Future.”
The members continue: “The FNS and MDE are required to conduct oversight of program operations. MDE has the authority under program statutes and regulations to take actions to safeguard program funds and to also engage other state and federal entities with specific legal authority to conduct investigations of fraud or criminal wrongdoing. We are investigating how MDE manages and exercises oversight over the Child and Adult Care Food Program and Summer Food Service Program.”
The letter concludes: “In March 2020, in response to the pandemic, Congress provided additional flexibility to states and local organizations to provide nutritious meals. … Unfortunately, this flexibility made it possible for fraud and improper payments. These allegations raise many questions about the management of these programs at the USDA and MDE, and perhaps in other states. In this case, it is unclear how the FNS and its partnering state agency, MDE, failed to prevent this fraud, which has been described as the ‘largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation.’”
The letter is co-signed by Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY), Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture Subcommittee Chairman Brad Finstad (R-MN), Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), Rep. Pete Stauber (R-MN), and Rep. Michelle Fischbach(R-MN).
To read the full letter, click here.
