Republicans oust Congress Member Ilhan Omar from House Foreign Affairs Committee

Official House Photo

Rather than seeking to pass legislation, Congress has begun its new session with political maneuvering.  As the BBC reports, congressional Republicans have ousted Democrat Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee ostensibly because of past comments about Israel.  "But Democrats and Ms Omar said it was revenge after two Republicans were ousted from committees in 2020 when Democrats held a House majority.

Ms Omar also suggested she was being removed due to her being a Muslim woman who immigrated to the US [from Somalia] as a refugee."

Omar's official website states that "In 2016 she was elected as the Minnesota House Representative for District 60B, making her the highest-elected Somali-American public official in the United States and the first Somali-American State Legislator. "

Republicans secured a majority in the House of Representatives in the midterm elections.  Members voted along party lines to remove Representative Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

 

.@RepAOC @AOC defends Rep. @Ilhan Omar: "Don't tell me this is about consistency. Don't tell me that this is about a condemnation of anti-Semitic remarks...This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America." pic.twitter.com/pzVUhsgZoM

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 2, 2023

KJ