WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Michelle Fischbach (MN-07) joined Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08) and every Republican member of the committee in calling on the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to overhaul its oversight of the non-profit sector. The demand comes as the renewed interest in the “Feeding Our Future” scandal in Minnesota reveals systemic failures and the potential theft of billions in taxpayer dollars.
In a letter addressed to Acting IRS Commissioner Scott Bessent and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano, the lawmakers expressed outrage over the Biden-Harris administration’s failure to hold corrupt tax-exempt organizations accountable. The committee’s ongoing investigation into waste, fraud, and abuse has already resulted in the referral of 11 non-profit organizations to the IRS for the revocation of their tax-exempt status.
“The ‘Feeding Our Future’ scandal is a heartbreaking betrayal of Minnesota taxpayers and the vulnerable children these programs were intended to serve,” said Rep. Fischbach. “It is deeply disturbing that while nearly 80 individuals have been prosecuted for this theft, the IRS failed to update its own systems, allowing a fraudulent organization to continue advertising its tax-exempt status for months after it was revoked. This lack of communication between federal and state agencies is unacceptable and must be corrected immediately.”
The letter highlights a critical failure in February 2020, when the IRS revoked Feeding Our Future’s tax-exempt status after the group failed to meet reporting requirements for three consecutive years. Despite this, the organization was still approved as a Summer Food Service Program sponsor by the Minnesota Department of Education in June 2020, likely because the IRS had not yet updated its public systems.
The lawmakers also raised concerns regarding national security, citing reports that stolen taxpayer funds may have been funneled to the Al-Shabaab terrorist group. One confidential source in the investigation noted that “the largest funder of Al-Shabaab is the Minnesota taxpayer.”
You can read the full letter here.
Michelle Fischbach is a wife, mom, grandma, attorney, and the U.S. Representative for Minnesota's Seventh Congressional District. Get updates from Rep. Fischbach's congressional office on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
