Omar has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. But it just got so much worse.
Because Ilhan Omar was caught funneling money to Somalis right under our noses.
Omar’s Earmark for Somali Group Sparks Backlash and Removal
Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar faced scrutiny after attempting to insert a $1 million earmark for a Somali-led organization in her district into a major congressional spending package, a move that nearly jeopardized the entire shutdown-averting bill.
House appropriators ultimately decided to strip the provision on Wednesday, with Republican leaders citing the risk it posed to the broader $184 billion funding agreement. Omar had initially sought $1,460,877 for Generation Hope’s “Justice Empowerment Initiative,” a program offering job training, computer skills, peer support, education access, and services for addiction and mental health, targeted at East African communities.
The earmark, tucked into the Commerce, Science and Justice (CJS) minibus, drew sharp criticism for prioritizing a culturally specific project amid tight fiscal negotiations.
Republican Oklahoma Rep. Tom Cole, chairman of the Appropriations Committee, explained the decision, stating, “I can’t afford to have a million dollar project jeopardize a $184 billion package of bills,” and added, “If we have an individual project that can pose a political problem, I’ve had these in the past from our side before, where we had to tell a member, ‘look, there might be a way to do this, but our advice to you is to withdraw this.’”
This episode raises questions about the use of taxpayer funds for narrowly focused initiatives, especially when they threaten essential government funding.
Details on the Organization and Earmark Controversy
Generation Hope, founded in 2019 by Abdirahman Warsame and Khadar Abi, is described as a Somali-led group that collaborates with culturally specific treatment centers to provide responsive options for East African individuals.
While the program aims to address community needs in Omar’s district, critics argued its inclusion exemplified problematic earmark practices. The provision also received backing from Minnesota’s Democratic Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, yet it failed to survive scrutiny in the House process.
To advance the package, lawmakers agreed to vote on the three titles—Energy-Water, Interior-Environment, and Commerce-Justice-Science—separately, allowing Republicans opposed to the CJS portion to register dissent without sinking the overall bill.
Democratic Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member on Appropriations, downplayed the issue, saying, “It is under discussion and it will be resolved. That’s the way things go with these community projects. If there’s a difficulty, if there’s a problem, we try to work it out. Or it comes out.”
Republican Pushback Highlights Broader Earmark Concerns
Conservative Republicans celebrated the earmark’s removal as a win against wasteful spending. Texas Rep. Chip Roy, a member of the House Freedom Caucus and Rules Committee, posted on X, “Chalk one up for the good guys. Proud to work the last two days to stop the outrageous Ilhan Omar $1 million Somali earmark. Much more to do.”
Roy also condemned other earmarks in the package as “ridiculous,” telling reporters, “It’s ridiculous to buy votes in the currency of corruption in this town,” and labeling various projects as “nonsense” unworthy of taxpayer dollars.
South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman expressed reservations until assured in writing that the “Somali million dollars” provision would be excised. The incident revives debates over earmarks—rebranded as “community project funding” by Democrats in 2021 after a decade-long ban under Republicans—with hardliners viewing them as vehicles for localized favoritism that distract from national priorities.
The White House urged passage of the minibus, praising its spending reductions and noting that advisors would recommend President Trump sign it in its adjusted form.
