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House Education Committee Subpoenas Walz Over Nonprofit's COVID-19 Fraud

The Minnesota House Education Committee has issued a subpoena to Governor Tim Walz, seeking documents related to a nonprofit's alleged misuse of COVID-19 relief funds.

The nonprofit, Feeding Our Future, is accused of misusing millions of dollars in federal funds intended to provide meals to children during the pandemic.

The committee's subpoena, issued on Monday, requests all documents related to the state's contract with Feeding Our Future, as well as any communications between the governor's office and the nonprofit.

The committee is chaired by Rep. Jim Davnie (R-Fairmont), who said in a statement that the subpoena is necessary to “get to the bottom” of the allegations against Feeding Our Future.

“Taxpayers deserve to know how their money was spent during the pandemic,” Davnie said. “We will not rest until we have a full accounting of what happened.”

The governor's office has said that it will cooperate with the committee's investigation.

“We are committed to transparency and accountability,” said Walz spokesperson Teddy Tschann in a statement. “We will provide the committee with any information they request.”

The subpoena comes amid growing scrutiny of Feeding Our Future. The nonprofit has been accused of overcharging the state for meals, providing meals to ineligible children, and using the funds to pay for lavish salaries and bonuses.

Feeding Our Future has denied the allegations, but the controversy has led to calls for the nonprofit to be shut down.

The committee's subpoena is a significant development in the investigation into Feeding Our Future. It gives the committee the authority to compel the governor to produce documents that could shed light on the allegations against the nonprofit.