(KNSI) — The Minnesota Department of Education is under further scrutiny from Congress over the Feeding Our Future fraud scheme.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the MDE are required to oversee nutrition program operations designed to partner with the federal government, designated state agencies, and approved local providers of meals to adults and children. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, sixty people have been indicted in connection to the $250 million scam, the country’s largest COVID-19 fraud scheme. Prosecutors allege funds from the government meant to feed hungry kids were directed right into the pockets of participants who lied on documents about how many they were feeding and spent that money on luxury cars and properties.
In a letter to Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett from several members of Congress, including Tom Emmer (R-CD6) and Michelle Fischbach (R-CD7), it said as child nutrition programs went from in-person service to non-congregate models and authorized waivers, the checks and balances designed to ensure that funding goes to feeding needy students and adults were relaxed. That 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.”
The Office of the Legislative Auditor has already launched a review of MDE’s oversight of Feeding Our Future.
The Committees on Agriculture, Education and the Workforce, and Oversight and Accountability have jurisdiction under Rule X of the Rules of the House of Representatives to conduct oversight of these matters. The signatories are demanding all of the documents the MDE provided to the OLA be turned over to them and given a November 27th deadline.
The letter also says any existing and future records and materials relating to the inquiry be retained. Those materials include all electronic messages sent using official and personal accounts or devices, including records created using text messages, phone-based message applications, or encryption software.
We have reached out to the MDE for comment.
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