A Minneapolis earmark dispute threatened a $184 billion spending package days before a Jan. 30 shutdown deadline, and appropriators removed the item to advance the bill. The Minneapolis earmark fight centered on Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Generation Hope request for a Somali-led addiction recovery center, part of community project funding in the broader spending package. House Republicans stripped the funding, as Rep. Chip Roy criticized earmarks and Rep. Tom Cole warned a million-dollar project could jeopardize the package. Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith backed the grant, while fraud cases in Minnesota, including Feeding Our Future, heightened scrutiny of immigrant-serving nonprofits and payments. Senators Joni Ernst and Mike Lee sought a DOJ review in January 2026; federal and state investigations continue.
