Ilhan Omar Lashes Out As McCarthy Rejects Her Committee Assignment

Ilhan Omar Lashes Out After Getting Kicked Off Committee

(UnitedVoice.com) – Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) has a controversial history. The Democratic lawmaker has repeatedly been under fire for making comments members of Congress, on both sides of the aisle, believe are anti-Semitic. She recently lashed out at Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) after he rejected her committee assignment.

On January 27, House Minority Leader Jakeem Jeffries finalized his assignments for returning committee members. His nominations included selecting Omar for the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she has also served on the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Global Human Rights.

McCarthy has publicly stated he intends to hold a vote to remove Omar from the position. Unlike his rejection of Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA), the speaker can’t unilaterally kick her off of the Foreign Affairs Committee because it isn’t a special one. Omar lashed out at the Republican leader for his decision to reject her assignment. She tweeted that it’s “racist, xenophobic and discriminatory” to leave the only African-born member of Congress off of the African subcommittee.

As the only African born, not being on the Africa subcommittee is not just an elimination of a unique voice but an elimination of all the voices that have never been heard on a committee on the continent.

It’s racist, xenophobic and discriminatory.

— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) January 26, 2023

The drama over assignments stems from a promise McCarthy made in 2021 when the Democratic-run House voted to remove Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Paul Gosar (R-AZ) from their committees for promoting violence. Though several Republicans voted with Democrats, McCarthy vowed revenge and said he would remove Schiff, Swalwell, and Omar when the GOP took the majority.

Recently, at least three Republican House members have expressed support for Omar remaining on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Reps Nancy Mace (R-SC), Victoria Spartz (R-IN), and Ken Buck (R-CO) have said they will vote in favor of keeping the Democrat. Two other Republican Reps., Tim Burchett (TN) and David Valadao (CA), are unsure. McCarthy can’t afford to lose another GOP vote, or he won’t succeed in removing her — unless he manages to pick up support from the Democratic Party.