Jordan Confronts Walz Over Feeding Our Future Payments, Accuses Him of Hiding Behind Nonexistent Court Order

Jordan Presses Walz on Feeding Our Future Payment Restart

Ohio Republican Representative Jim Jordan leveled sharp accusations at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz during a House Oversight Committee hearing Wednesday, charging the governor with attempting to use a fabricated court order as cover for why the state resumed financial payments to Feeding Our Future — a nonprofit now at the center of one of the largest pandemic-era fraud scandals in American history.

The Core Accusation

At the heart of the confrontation was a simple but pointed question from Jordan: "Why didn't you tell the truth about why you restarted the payments?"

Walz had previously maintained in public statements that a judge had directed the Minnesota Department of Education to resume reimbursements to Feeding Our Future in April 2021, following a brief suspension over fraud concerns. Jordan, however, came armed with evidence directly contradicting that account.

The congressman cited a court-authorized press release issued in 2022 by then-Ramsey County District Court Judge John H. Guthmann, which explicitly challenged Walz's version of events.

"On September 22, 2022, Governor Tim Walz told the media that the Minnesota Department of Education attempted to end payments to FOF because of possible fraud, but that Judge Guthmann ordered payments to continue in April 2021. That is also false," the statement read. "As the public court record and Judge Guthmann's orders make plain, Judge Guthmann never issued an order requiring the MN Department of Education to resume food reimbursement payments to FOF."

Walz Defends His Position

Jordan read directly from the judge's statement during the hearing before turning to Walz and demanding an explanation.

"So either you're lying or the court's lying. And I'm just asking you which one is it?" Jordan said.

Walz pushed back, arguing that his public statements were based on legal guidance he had received from officials within the agency. He maintained that attorneys at the Department of Education had interpreted the court's actions as requiring continued payments.

"The agency believed that the court had required them to make those payments," Walz said. "I just simply know what the attorneys at the agency believed — that it was a misinterpretation."

Jordan was unconvinced, firing back: "You're trying to hide behind some pretend court order. Some court order that didn't exist."

The Scale of the Feeding Our Future Fraud

The hearing unfolded against the backdrop of a sprawling federal investigation into Feeding Our Future, a Minnesota-based nonprofit that allegedly served as a vehicle for stealing more than $250 million in taxpayer funds designated to feed children during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Federal prosecutors have aggressively pursued the case. In November, the Justice Department announced charges against a 36-year-old Minnesota man for wire fraud and money laundering — making him the 78th individual charged in connection with the scheme. By January 7th, the House Oversight Committee reported that the Justice Department had charged a total of 98 defendants in Minnesota fraud-related cases, 85 of whom are of Somali descent.

Notably, when Jordan asked Walz how many people had been indicted in his state, the governor admitted he did not have the figures available.

"I don't have those numbers with me," Walz said.

Walz Acknowledges Vulnerability, Vows Accountability

Despite the heated exchanges, Walz did acknowledge that Minnesota's public assistance programs are not immune to exploitation by fraudulent actors.

"I'll be the first to acknowledge that," he told the committee. "But let me be clear — in Minnesota, if you defraud public programs, if you steal taxpayer money, we'll find you, we'll prosecute you, we'll convict you, and we'll throw you in jail."

Walz, who earlier this year announced he would not seek re-election as governor, faced additional scrutiny from Senate Republicans over the scandal, with critics describing the known fraud as merely the "tip of the iceberg."