📰 Kennedy Denounces ‘$1 Billion Welfare Heist’ as ‘Deeply Disgusting’ and ‘Clown World on Steroids’

Senate Floor Erupts Over Massive Minnesota Welfare Fraud Scandal

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) delivered a blistering speech on the Senate floor, bringing national attention to what federal prosecutors have described as a massive, multi-scheme welfare fraud case in Minnesota, totaling over one billion dollars in stolen taxpayer funds. Kennedy did not mince words, labeling the scandal “deeply disgusting” and an act of “stealing,” while accusing state officials of turning a blind eye for political reasons.

The Senator framed his address around the generosity of the American people, contrasting it sharply with the criminal abuse of that trust. “We spend trillions of dollars a year helping our friends and neighbors who are less fortunate than we are,” Kennedy stated. “That’s why I get so angry when I find out that people take advantage of the American people’s generosity.”

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The Core Allegation: Fraud Centered in the Somali Community

Kennedy laid out the specific details revealed in federal indictments, emphasizing the scope of the crime and the demographic concentration of the alleged perpetrators.

“There has been massive welfare fraud in the great state of Minnesota,” he asserted. “Over a billion dollars of American taxpayer money has been stolen… And this fraud has been centered in the Somali community in Minnesota.”

The Senator preemptively addressed potential criticism of his focus, maintaining that he was merely presenting facts as detailed by the prosecution.

“I’m not here to criticize the Somali community,” Kennedy stressed. “But it is a fact that this $1 billion in welfare fraud occurred almost exclusively in the Somali community in Minnesota and was orchestrated by people with Somali ancestry. That’s a fact. Facts aren’t racist. Facts are facts.”

Kennedy provided concrete statistics from the federal investigation: 59 people have been convicted so far, and of the 86 people charged, 78 of them are of Somali ancestry. The Somali community in Minneapolis is approximately 80,000 people.

The Three Schemes of the Heist

The Senator detailed three distinct, elaborate schemes used by the alleged perpetrators to systematically divert federal funds intended for vulnerable populations:

1. Feeding Our Future (Children’s Meals)

This was the largest scheme, centered around a Somali-run nonprofit named Feeding Our Future. The organization received federal money administered by Minnesota state authorities to set up feeding sites, mostly at Somali-owned businesses, supposedly providing hot meals to hungry children in the community.

Escalation: The program started small but escalated dramatically. At the height of the fraud, the scheme was allegedly spending $100 million a year.

The Deception: “There were hungry children. They just weren’t getting any of the money,” Kennedy stated. Instead, the businesses allegedly receiving the funds spent the money on personal luxuries: “yachts and vacations and jewelry and and and furniture for their home.”

2. Homeless Housing Fraud

The second scheme involved setting up fraudulent housing providers aimed at assisting the homeless.

Escalation: This scheme also grew rapidly. Starting with a request for $2.6 million in 2020, the requests quickly ballooned to $21 million in 2021, and escalated further to $42 million, $74 million, and eventually $104 million a year.

The Deception: “None of the money was going for housing… These providers and this nonprofit that was coordinating it just put the money in their pocket.”

3. Fraudulent Autism Claims

Kennedy described the third scheme as the most “disgusting,” focusing on the exploitation of federal funds meant for children with autism.

The Deception: Alleged medical providers, unable to find enough autistic children to justify the funds, resorted to bribery. They approached parents in the Somali community, offering payments—anywhere from $400 to $1,500 per child—to certify their children as autistic, thereby stealing millions in federal medical money.

The Political Failure and Call for Accountability

Senator Kennedy reserved his harshest criticism for Minnesota state officials and politicians, alleging that the systemic fraud was allowed to continue for years because the perpetrators represented a significant political voting block.

Kennedy stressed that the scandal was a complete betrayal of taxpayers. He specifically called out political figures like Representative Ilhan Omar and others, stating that while whistleblowers faced threats and retaliation, officials prioritized “political power over justice.”

The Senator concluded that the massive fraud demonstrated not just isolated criminal acts, but systemic corruption and a failure of oversight, demanding accountability for those who allowed the billion-dollar heist to proceed right under the nose of state government.