Briefnow
Mar 19, 2026

Ilhan Omar Faces Possible Subpoena as House Expands Probe Into Minn. Fraud

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is once again under fire in Washington as the House Oversight Committee moves toward issuing subpoenas for her immigration and marriage records — a development that comes amid intensifying federal investigations into Somali-linked welfare fraud in Minnesota and President Trump’s escalating deportation campaign.

The move, first raised publicly during a Wednesday hearing on the Minnesota benefits scandal, represents the most serious congressional scrutiny yet into Omar’s long-swirling marriage fraud allegations, which have never been formally resolved.

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who sits on the Oversight Committee, announced the motion during the hearing.

“We just moved to subpoena Rep. Ilhan Omar and her brother/husband’s immigration records,” Mace said afterward on X. “Federal marriage fraud and knowingly entering a marriage to evade immigration laws is a serious felony punishable by prison time, steep fines, denaturalization, and deportation. Marrying a sibling is illegal in every state. We intend to get to the bottom of it.”

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) confirmed separately that he requested Omar’s immigration records from the House Intelligence Committee.

Omar has consistently denied claims that she entered into a sham marriage with her brother to secure his U.S. residency, calling the allegations “false and Islamophobic.”

However, the timing of the renewed inquiry — as federal law enforcement ramps up deportations and fraud prosecutions tied to Minnesota’s Somali community — underscores how the issue has become entangled with broader Republican efforts to expose systemic corruption in state-administered welfare programs.

At the heart of the controversy is Omar’s 2020 MEALS Act, a pandemic-era bill that loosened federal oversight of school meals programs and allowed the USDA to waive cost restrictions for states.

Federal prosecutors now say those waivers were exploited by bad actors in the Feeding Our Future scandal — a $250 million fraud operation that diverted aid from low-income children into luxury purchases and overseas transfers.

When asked if she regretted her role in pushing the legislation, Omar stood by it. “Absolutely not,” she said. “It did help feed kids.”

Other posts