(RepublicanNews.org) – Democrats and Republicans are battling over whether Minnesota House Representative Ilhan Omar can keep her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
After House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced he wanted to replace Omar, the head of the Democratic Caucus said his side of the aisle would help keep her there.
Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said during a January 25 news conference that Omar isn’t “automatically” off the committee just because the Speaker says so. A vote would be required, Aguilar said, and the Democratic Caucus “stands with” Omar.
Praising Omar’s “background, breadth, and experience,” Aguilar said Omar was qualified to sit on Foreign Affairs and should keep her seat.
He also said a “bipartisan” effort would arise to ensure Omar retains her position, although it remains to be seen whether enough Republican support for Omar will materialize.
When Democrats helped remove Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar from key committees in 2019, Aguilar said, it was also because of “bipartisan” votes.
Colleagues and critics of Omar have been displeased with her past comments on Israel; some see her as expressing antisemitic views. Omar’s comparison of the U.S. and Israel to the Taliban and Hamas was not well-received.
As of January 25, two Republicans, Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., have said they oppose removing Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Ilhan Omar is part of what is colloquially referred to as “the squad,” a group of Democratic female House Representatives with far-left social views. Generally, “the squad” refers to representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY.), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Ayanna Presley (D-MA).
The group is known for being outspoken in its views, which include the beliefs that the US is a patriarchal society that oppresses women and that “structural racism” inhibits “people of color” from attaining financial and social success.
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