Rep. Ilhan Omar faced intense scrutiny Sunday regarding the massive welfare fraud scandal engulfing her home state, insisting during a heated exchange on CBS News that there is “no justification” for the federal government’s aggressive crackdown.
The confrontation comes as federal officials estimated in December that suspected fraud within Minnesota’s Medicaid program has ballooned to over $9 billion. In response, the Trump administration has frozen payments to the state pending audits, while multiple federal agencies have descended on the Twin Cities to investigate.
READ: DHS Rips Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Claim Of ICE ‘Disappearing’ Citizens As A ‘Ridiculous Lie’
Speaking with Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation,” the Democratic congresswoman characterized the federal response not as justice, but as intimidation.
“It is just creating fear,” Omar told Brennan. “What they are doing is creating confusion, chaos, trying to intimidate people from being able to exercise their regular normal activities.”
Omar argued that the 87 individuals investigated or adjudicated in connection with the scandal—the vast majority of whom have been of Somali descent—were handled during the Biden administration. She described the current influx of over 2,000 federal agents as a “search” that has yet to produce new criminal charges, labeling the operation a “level of terror” imposed on her city.
However, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) release issued Thursday paints a different picture of the operations on the ground. According to DHS, recent immigration enforcement sweeps by ICE in the Minneapolis area resulted in the arrests of illegal immigrants with prior convictions for sex offenses, assault, and drug charges.
READ: Texas, Louisiana Senators Turn Heat Up On Minnesota Gov. Walz For Alleged $9 Billion Fraud Scheme
When Brennan pointed out that the administration cut food stamp funding specifically because “money had been embezzled,” Omar pushed back, calling the move unconstitutional.
“It is being litigated,” Omar said. “There is no reason for them to use this level of rhetoric. There is no reason for them to fully stop funding these programs.”
She accused the administration of using the scandal for “PR purposes,” claiming the freeze on funds is harming her constituents and creating unnecessary instability.
The scandal has also drawn attention from independent media. Journalist Nick Shirley recently released a 42-minute expose showing visits to various daycare centers in the Minneapolis area, including one where “Learning” was misspelled on the signage. The video sparked a media firestorm, though Omar dismissed the footage during her interview, claiming Shirley visited the centers when they were closed.
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