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Rep. Ilhan Omar Removed From House Foreign Affairs Committee

“This is about targeting women of color,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said of House Republicans.

Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar has officially been kicked off the Foreign Affairs Committee, which is seen by House Democrats as retaliation from Republicans.

According to The New York Times, in a 218 to 211 party-line vote, Omar was removed. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has accused Omar of “repeated antisemitic and anti-American remarks.

In a passionate speech on the House floor, Omar said, “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.”

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said in a separate speech, “I had a member of the Republican caucus threaten my life and … the Republican caucus rewarded him with one of the most prestigious committee assignments in this Congress. Don’t tell me this is about consistency. This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America.”

The move appears to be retaliation for Democrats stripping Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene who has peddled in 9/11 conspiracy theories and is now on the Homeland Security Committee – and Paul Gosar of Arizona of their committee assignments for endorsing violence against Democrats, The Washington Post reports. That said, Republicans have been attacking Rep. Omar for years. Back in Nov. 2021, Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert said Omar was a member of the “jihad squad” and implied that she is a bomb-carrying terrorist likely to attack the Capitol.

Nonetheless, Rep. Ilhan Omar’s work will continue. House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jefferies already tweeted he will immediately “seat Rep. Omar on the House Budget Committee where she will defend Democratic values against right-wing extremism.”

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