Ilhan Omar one step closer to being booted from powerful post after vote
Cami Mondeaux
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The House on Wednesday voted along party lines to move forward with GOP efforts to oust Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the Foreign Affairs Committee, even before the Minnesota Democrat has been named to the panel by Democrats.
House lawmakers approved a resolution to begin debating Omar’s removal with a 218-209 vote, setting the stage for what is likely to be a contentious vote later this week. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) had repeatedly vowed to strip the Minnesota Democrat of her committee assignments over her anti-Israel positions and accusations that Omar is antisemitic.
HOUSE GOP PLANS WEDNESDAY VOTE ON BOOTING OMAR FROM FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
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To be stripped of her assignments, the House must pass a full resolution supporting her removal. Republicans hold a 222-213 majority in the House, meaning they can only afford to lose four votes to pass the resolution without any Democrats. That could prove challenging for McCarthy, as some Democrats are reportedly lobbying GOP members on the foreign affairs panel to oppose her removal.
The vote to move forward with removing Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee comes after Rep. Victoria Spartz (R-IN) flipped her vote earlier this week, telling reporters she would vote in favor of the resolution after lawmakers added language that would allow lawmakers to appeal their removal from committee assignments. Spartz initially said she would vote against the resolution.
Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) also told reporters he would flip his vote on Wednesday, agreeing to approve the resolution when it comes forward for a vote. The Colorado Republican noted he changed his mind after lawmakers agreed to a possible rules change that would make it more difficult to remove members from committees.
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Democrats aren’t expected to name Omar to the Foreign Affairs Committee until after the House adjourns on Wednesday, meaning the earliest lawmakers can vote to remove her from the panel would be Thursday.
McCarthy has long vowed to remove Omar from her position on the powerful committee, first issuing threats after Republicans flipped control of the House in November. The vote to oust Omar comes after McCarthy removed Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) from their slots on the House Intelligence Committee last month.