On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution removing Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Republican lawmakers argued that Omar should be removed because of past anti-Semitic remarks, which have been condemned by members of both parties. The Republican-led house voted almost entirely along party lines to oust the Minnesota representative.
Prior to the vote, Omar pushed back on her critics, saying, “My leadership and voice will not be diminished if I am not on this committee for one term. My voice will get louder and stronger.”
“So take your vote or not – I am here to stay, and I am here to be a voice against harms around the world and advocate for a better world,” she added.
READ MORE: McCarthy says he’s removing Reps. Ilhan Omar, Schiff from Foreign Affairs, Intel cmtes.
The Republican Jewish Coalition praised Omar’s removal from the committee.
“For years, Democratic leadership has failed to hold Rep. Ilhan Omar accountable for her vile, hateful, and dangerous anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric,” the group said in a statement. “Today, Republicans, under Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s leadership, kept their promise to remove Rep. Omar from the prestigious and crucially important House Foreign Affairs Committee.”
Earlier this year, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy vowed to block Democrats from seats on powerful committees, partially in retribution for Democrats knocking two Republicans off their committees in 2021.
McCarthy told Punchbowl News he’s planning to keep the California Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell from being assigned to the Intelligence Committee, in addition to removing Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
This was a breaking news story. The details were periodically updated as more information became available.
