Deqa Dhalac annouces her number one goal in office is to surge taxpayer money from America to Somalia
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Executive summary
Multiple partisan outlets and social posts cite a resurfaced clip in which Maine state Rep. Deqa Dhalac is quoted saying she hopes to “help our country — our former country, Somalia,” and conservative sites have framed that as an explicit pledge to use U.S. taxpayer money to fund Somalia (examples: Townhall, Louder With Crowder, Yeshiva World) [1] [2] [3]. Reporting also links Dhalac to past work at Gateway Community Services, an organization later accused of billing MaineCare improperly and owing roughly $800,000 — a connection used by critics to allege diversion of U.S. funds abroad [4] [5].
1. Viral clip and the specific claim: “I’ll be helping our country”
A short clip of Deqa Dhalac saying “How can you help us be a better country? Hopefully we will be able to help our country — uh... our former country, Somalia” has been widely reused to assert her “goal” is to get American taxpayers to send money to Somalia [2] [6]. Conservative commentary sites and social amplification present that line as a direct promise to divert U.S. taxpayer funds to Somalia [1] [2]. The available sources reproduce the quote but do not include a full transcript or policy document showing a concrete plan to reallocate federal appropriations for Somalia [2] [1].
2. How outlets frame the statement: political theater, not a budget blueprint
Multiple outlets — from Townhall to Louder With Crowder and Pravda EN — treat the remark as a political scandal, arguing Dhalac is prioritizing a foreign country over constituents [1] [2] [7]. Those pieces use the clip as a headline-grabbing claim rather than exposing legislative steps or introduced bills that would send taxpayer dollars to Somalia. The reporting emphasizes outrage and identity politics instead of documenting a specific appropriation proposal [1] [2].
3. Dhalac’s background and the Gateway Community Services tie
Longer investigative and local pieces connect Dhalac to Gateway Community Services, where she was assistant executive director, and cite public records showing Gateway received large MaineCare payments and later owed nearly $800,000 to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for improper payments [4]. Critics and right-leaning outlets use that financial history to suggest a pattern of taxpayer money flowing into organizations linked to Somalia — an implication amplified by reporting that Gateway’s founder boasted of financing activities in Somalia [4] [5].
4. Allegations vs. documented evidence: gaps remain
The chain of claims in these sources mixes: (a) a clipped quote about helping “our former country,” (b) Gateway’s questionable billing/audit history, and (c) statements by Gateway’s founder about spending or fundraising related to Somalia [2] [4] [5]. None of the cited reports produce a direct paper trail showing Rep. Dhalac introduced or authored legislation to route U.S. taxpayer funds to Somalia, nor do they cite a congressional or state appropriations action taken by her to send federal dollars specifically to Somali entities [2] [4]. Available sources do not mention a bill or formal policy proposal by Dhalac to surge U.S. taxpayer funds to Somalia.
5. Two competing narratives in the coverage
One narrative: critics argue Dhalac’s words and professional ties show divided loyalties and a willingness to redirect U.S. resources overseas; outlets pushing this view cite the quote and Gateway’s billing records as evidence [1] [4]. Counter-narrative: defenders and neutral observers note the clip lacks context, that immigrant officials often speak about homeland development without promising to use U.S. budgets, and that professional involvement with immigrant-service nonprofits is different from authorizing foreign transfers — but that contextual defense is not detailed in the provided results [2] [8]. Available sources do not include a statement from Dhalac in response to these December 2025 reports within the set provided.
6. Why this matters: policy, perception, and political amplification
Fiscal accusations are potent because they conflate emotional appeals about homeland with concrete fiscal policy. The cited materials show how a short clip plus prior NGO billing controversies can be recombined into a narrative of corruption or disloyalty [2] [4]. Readers should note the editorial slant of many sources here — several are partisan or sensational (Townhall, Louder With Crowder, The Maine Wire, Pravda EN) and some aggregate viral content without primary documentation [1] [2] [7] [9].
7. Bottom line and open questions
The reporting in these sources documents a quoted expression of sympathy for Somalia and a professional connection between Dhalac and a nonprofit that later faced audits and debt to DHHS [2] [4]. The leap to a definitive claim that Rep. Deqa Dhalac’s “number one goal in office is to surge taxpayer money from America to Somalia” is not supported by the provided sources: they do not show legislative action or a policy plan authored by Dhalac to that effect [2] [4]. Key unanswered items in the current reporting include a full, timestamped transcript of the clip in context, any direct policy proposals by Dhalac, and her on-the-record response to these accusations — available sources do not mention those details [2] [4].