Ilhan Omar hits back at McCarthy over committee seat threat
Rep. Ilhan Omar on Sunday vowed to continue “fighting for more equitable, more just, and more humane policies” after Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to remove her from the chamber’s foreign affairs committee if he becomes speaker in the next Congress.
In a statement, Omar (D-Minn.) said that “McCarthy’s effort to repeatedly single me out for scorn and hatred—including threatening to strip me from my committee—does nothing to address the issues our constituents deal with.”
“It does nothing to address inflation, healthcare, or solve the climate crisis,” Omar continued. “What it does is gin up fear and hate against Somali-Americans and anyone who shares my identity, and further divide us along racial and ethnic lines. It is a continuation of a sustained campaign against Muslim and African voices, people his party has been trying to ban since [former President] Donald Trump first ran for office.”
“I will not stop advocating for peace and human rights around the world,” Omar added. “And I will not stop fighting for an America that does not single out people based on their race or religion.”
Omar issued her statement after McCarthy (R-Calif.) said in a Fox News appearance Sunday that Republicans are “not going to allow” the Minnesota Democrat to keep her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which she has used to grill Trump and Biden administration officials on nefarious U.S. policy in Latin America, drone strikes on civilians, and U.S. opposition to International Criminal Court investigations.
McCarthy, who falsely accused Omar of anti-Semitism, won the Republican nomination for House speaker last week, but he remains short of the 218 votes needed to win the gavel as GOP members to his right threaten a revolt.
Even if he becomes speaker, McCarthy won’t have the authority to unilaterally remove Omar from the foreign affairs panel. Such a step would require a vote before the full House.
Originally published at Commondreams.org.
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