Dalia Al-Aqidi Slams Feeding Our Future Sentences: “Minnesotans Deserve Better”
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 31, 2026
Minneapolis, MN — Congressional candidate Dalia Al-Aqidi today criticized the sentencing of two Feeding Our Future defendants, arguing that lenient penalties for major fraud schemes undermine public trust and fail hardworking taxpayers.
“These weren’t mistakes. These were deliberate schemes that stole from children’s food programs and from every taxpayer who funded them,” Al-Aqidi said. “When cheating a federal program costs you six months, it stops being a risk and starts being a business model for bad actors.”
Two Feeding Our Future defendants were sentenced this week after one fabricated 1.5 million meals that were never served and another was ordered to pay nearly half a million dollars in restitution to taxpayers. Neither defendant will spend more than a year and a day behind bars.
Al-Aqidi said the sentences reflect a broader failure of accountability that dishonors Minnesotans who follow the law, pay taxes honestly, and expect responsible stewardship of public funds.
The Feeding Our Future case, Al-Aqidi said, highlights the urgent need for stronger anti-fraud measures in government programs. Her Opportunity First Agenda includes a five-point plan to combat fraud through technology-based eligibility verification, independent public audits of federal assistance programs, tougher criminal penalties, stronger oversight of third-party administrators, and expanded protections for whistleblowers.
“The courtroom handed down two verdicts this week,” Al-Aqidi said. “But there is another verdict still owed to the state officials who saw this coming and looked away, and to a system that allowed it to happen while hardworking Minnesotans paid the price. This chapter is far from closed.”
By some estimates, the Feeding Our Future scandal cost American taxpayers more than $300 million. Of the 63 individuals convicted so far, only a handful have been sentenced, including the two defendants this week.
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Download PDF: Dalia Al-Aqidi – Feeding Our Future Sentencing Release 2026-03-31
About Dalia Al-Aqidi
Dalia Al-Aqidi is a Republican candidate for Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District. A legal immigrant who fled Iraq and built a distinguished career as a television journalist and anchor, including as a White House correspondent for Alhurra, the U.S.-sponsored satellite network broadcasting to 22 countries across the Middle East. She lives in Minneapolis and is running on her Opportunity First Agenda. More information about Dalia here.
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