MPAC to Join Muslim, Arab, Iranian-American Groups in Front of U.S. Capitol to Respond to House GOP's Vote to Remove Rep. Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee

Washington, D.C. | www.mpac.org | February 2, 2023 — Today, at 12 p.m. EST in front of the U.S. Capitol, MPAC will join a coalition of American Muslim, Arab-American, and Iranian-American groups to respond to the U.S. House Republican caucus's expected attempt to remove Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  

Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives - under the direction of Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) - could hold a vote on a resolution as early as today, or possibly tomorrow, to remove Rep. Omar from her House Foreign Affairs Committee assignment.   

Regardless of when the House vote takes place, American Muslim, Arab-American, and Iranian-American groups plan to hold a press conference on the sidewalk in front of Congress at the intersection of 1st St N.E. and E Capitol ST, N.E., Washington, D.C.
 

WHEN: 12 PM, Thursday, February 2, 2023 

WHERE: Sidewalk in front of Congress at the intersection of 1st St N.E. and E Capitol ST, N.E., Washington, D.C. 

WHO: Representatives from the following organizations will speak at the press conference: 

• Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee

• Council on American-Islamic Relations 

• Emgage Action 

• Muslim Public Affairs Council 

• NIAC Action 

• Poligon Education Fund 

• Others

To watch today's press conference click here. 
 

BACKGROUND: 

Congresswoman Omar is best known for several firsts. Rep. Omar is the first Somali American and the first naturalized citizen of African birth to serve in the U.S. Congress, and the first woman of color to represent Minnesota. She is also the first woman to wear a hijab on the House floor after successfully advocating for a change to the House rules that denied her religious freedom to wear a head covering.     

Last night the House Rules Committee voted, 9-4, to advance a resolution Rep. Max Miller's (R-OH) House Resolution 76, which would remove Congresswoman Ilhan Omar from her position on the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs. 

On Friday, Congresswoman Omar’s office issued a press release stating that she had been appointed to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, in addition to the Education and the Workforce Committee. Bloomberg media reports that House Democrats last week voted by “unanimous consent during a closed-door meeting last week to allow Omar to remain on the committee.”   

However, Speaker McCarthy has vowed to remove Rep. Omar from her foreign affairs committee assignment based on bad-faith attacks against her character. It would require a simple majority vote to remove Rep. Omar from her committee seat and only four House Republicans would need to vote “NO” to reject the attempt. While it seems that there are now enough House Republicans necessary to approve the resolution, there is still a chance that it could fail on the House floor.