Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota is facing new scrutiny over her personal finances after a watchdog group accused her of defaulting on federal student loans while advocating for debt forgiveness in Congress.
The American Accountability Foundation (AAF) sent a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson on Friday alleging that Omar, who earns $174,000 a year, is in collection proceedings over federally guaranteed student loans.
“We are writing today to share serious concerns about abuse of office and abuse of government loans by a member of the House of Representatives, Representative Ilhan Omar,” AAF President Thomas Jones wrote.
According to the group, Omar’s financial disclosure forms show she owes between $15,001 and $50,000 in outstanding student loan debt — loans backed by the federal government.
“As you know, these loans are guaranteed by the United States Government and Representative Omar’s default would shift the cost of her student loans onto the U.S. taxpayer,” Jones said. “The fact that someone making $174,000 as a Member of Congress cannot pay their student loans is unconscionable and embarrassing.”
The group went further, accusing Omar of using her position to pressure federal agencies not to enforce collection on her loans.
“Adding insult to injury, there are credible claims that she is using her influence as a Member of Congress to bully the Department of Education into not collecting the past-due payments,” Jones wrote.
Jones said his organization filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to obtain any correspondence between Omar and the Department of Education related to her loans.
The letter urged Speaker Johnson to take an unprecedented step to ensure taxpayers are not left on the hook.
“We are calling upon you to instruct the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives to impound Representative Omar’s Congressional salary and pay it out to Nelnet, the servicer of her federal student loan, until such time as her payments are current,” the letter said.
Omar’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the allegations.
The AAF has frequently targeted Democratic lawmakers with ethics complaints and financial investigations, arguing that elected officials should be held to a higher standard when it comes to managing public and personal funds.
Critics say the revelations highlight a potential conflict of interest for Omar, who has been one of the most vocal advocates of widespread student debt cancellation. She has repeatedly called for full forgiveness of federal student loans, framing the issue as one of economic justice.
But the watchdog group says her personal situation undermines that message.
“If you’re in default on taxpayer-backed loans and using your office to influence policy that could personally benefit you, that’s an ethical red flag,” Jones said.
Omar’s finances have drawn attention before. In 2023, the financial analytics firm Quiver Quantitative noted a sharp change in her disclosures over the years.
“When she first filed in 2019, she didn’t disclose any assets,” the firm wrote at the time. “Her recent filing shows assets worth up to $288,000. However, she now has up to $100,000 in credit card debt, along with up to $50,000 of existing student loan debt.”
The latest claims add to the list of controversies surrounding the congresswoman, who has faced ethics complaints and campaign finance questions in the past.
Whether the House takes action remains to be seen, but AAF says it will continue pressing for transparency — and repayment.
Last night at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Kelly Clarkson turned a tense moment into one of unity and grace. When a small group of concertgoers began chanting anti-American slogans, the atmosphere in the arena shifted from excitement to unease.
Instead of responding with anger, Clarkson took a different path: she quietly raised her microphone and began singing “God Bless America.” Her calm, steady voice cut through the tension without a word of confrontation.
As she sang, fans around her began joining in—first a few, then more and more, until the entire arena joined as one. The chanting stopped, replaced by thousands of unified voices lifting the patriotic song in harmony, transforming the mood entirely.
In that moment, Clarkson showed what leadership through kindness and poise can look like. Instead of responding to provocation with provocation, she chose a greater path—using music as a bridge, healing through hope, and inspiring others simply by leading with grace.
Did you know that the main cause of death in the US are heart attacks?
The stressful way of life and the junk food we keep eating is a great contributor for this illness becoming so common and so dangerous over the last years.
Leading a healthy lifestyle and trying to decrease the levels of stress in your life can help protect you from heart failure, but another thing that can be very useful, even lifesaving, is knowing the symptoms of heart failure a month before it happens.
These are the symptoms that you might have a heart attack in a month. Make sure you always treat these as red flags.
If you have congestive heart failure, one or both of your heart’s lower chambers lose their ability to pump blood effectively. As a result, blood can back up in your legs, ankles and feet, causing edema.
When the arteries become narrow your heart receives a lot less blood than it is used to.
This makes the heart work a whole lot harder than it normally would have to, leaving you feeling overly tired and drowsy just about all of the time.
When your heart is getting less blood this means it your lungs are not going to be able to get as much oxygen to the lungs as you normally would.
The two systems depend on one another so without one you can’t have the other. If you have been having trouble breathing it is best to consult a doctor as soon as possible, this could mean it is getting close to time for your attack.
When your body becomes weak, all of a sudden it is because the arteries becoming more narrow are not allowing blood circulation properly.
Your muscles aren’t getting what they need, and this could cause you to fall even for what may seem like at first no reason so be especially careful.
The poor circulations is also causing the blood flow to your brain to be restricted. This is very life threatening. This will at first cause dizziness and clamminess. You should not ignore this.
If you are having onset symptoms of a heart attack chances are you have been experiencing discomfort in your chest, whether it’s minor pain or built-up pressure.
This will constantly increase until the attack itself happens.
If you feel as if you are having flu symptoms out of nowhere this could be because the attack itself is about to happen within the near future.
Many people feel they have developed a cold just days before their attacks.
How to handle this:
If you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms, please see a doctor as soon as possible.
The best way to prevent a heart attack is by noticing the symptoms early on.
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