Minnesota Official Condemns Welfare Fraud: Demands Accountability from State Government

Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., has been defending government oversight during the pandemic era, but a growing chorus of critics in her home state is challenging that narrative.

State Speaker Lisa Demuth told Newsmax on Friday she would not accept Mr. President’s explanation for how the federal child nutrition program was fraudulently exploited.

The Minnesota House Speaker and gubernatorial candidate explained that at least $250 million, possibly up to a billion dollars total, were lost through systemic failures in pandemic-era welfare programs.

Demuth specifically cited Governor Tim Walz as the focal point of accountability concerns, stating “in Minnesota, we have record fraud here in the state, and it’s because of a lack of oversight and lack of accountability… starting with Gov. Walz.”

The scandal involves nonprofit Feeding Our Future and its vendors who allegedly diverted funds intended for feeding low-income children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sources indicate that this occurred through an emergency program established to address food insecurity, but one expert said it was flawed from the start.
Okay, here is the rewritten article focusing strictly on the core content:

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, a Republican running for governor, has voiced sharp criticism of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar’s recent comments defending emergency COVID-19 pandemic aid programs against allegations of fraud concerning a federal child nutrition scheme.

According to reports, Minnesota experienced widespread welfare fraud during the pandemic era linked to an emergency child nutrition program. The alleged fraud involved organizations claiming large numbers of meals were served but not providing them, resulting in at least $250 million lost and potentially billions diverted from aid funds intended for needy families.

In a statement on Friday, Ms. Demuth questioned Representative Omar’s explanation for the extent and nature of this alleged fraud. She stated directly that she did not accept Mr. President’s reasoning regarding lack of oversight or other excuses offered by officials like him for the failures in state government agencies involved with the program.

(Note: The original text mentioned Ilhan Omar as D-Minn., which is kept here as “Rep. Ilhan Omar”.)