GOP votes out Ilhan Omar from House Foreign Affairs Committee

The Republican-majority House of Representatives removed Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a vote of 218-211 on Thursday.

The GOP repeatedly called out Omar for her past anti-Semitic rhetoric and statements about Israel.

Republican Rep. Max Miller of Ohio addressed on the House floor how she was barred from traveling to Israel in 2019.

"How can someone not welcomed by one of our most important allies serve as an emissary of American foreign policy on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and given her biased comments against Israel and against the Jewish people, how can she serve as an objective decision maker on the committee?" Miller said.

She has since apologized for her remarks after being urged by her colleagues on both sides in the then Democratic-majority House led by Rep. Nancy Pelosi of California.

@IlhanMN / Twitter

Omar gave a touching speech while displaying a photo of her 9-year-old self as she shared her background, and reassured her colleagues that she is there to stay.

"I didn't come to Congress to be silent. I came to Congress to be their voice, and my leadership and voice will not be diminished," Omar said, referring to refugees from around the world.

Her family fled from the Somalia Civil War when she was only 8 years old.

She is the first African refugee to become a member of Congress, the first woman of color to serve as a representative in Minnesota and one of the first two Muslim-American women elected to Congress.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York defended Omar, calling out the GOP's hypocrisy in their past anti-Semitic remarks as she referenced Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia's use of the phrase, "Jewish space lasers."

"This is about targeting women of color in the United States of America," Ocasio-Cortez said.

Omar stood strong, tweeting a photo of herself wearing a bracelet that said, "God bless whoever hating on me."

pc: @IlhanMN / Twitter

Comments

Bridgeport Hospital and CT Foodshare set to mark special milestone

Volunteers (left to right) Nicholas Satta, Paul De Regt, Jessica Barszcz, Kristin Ysais, Michell Wallace, Rachel Morrison, Lauren Lengyel, and Jenny Louis stand in front of mobile food bank. BRIDGEPORT— Bridgeport Hospital, in partnership with CT Foodshare , will serve its 20,000th distribution of food at their mobile pantry, located at 267 Grant St., on Nov. 26 at 9 a.m., according to a press release. “We are incredibly proud to reach this milestone,” said Gina Smith, manager of Community Health in the Office of Health Equity and Community Impact. “We see firsthand how many families in our community face challenges meeting their basic needs. Through partnerships like this one with CT Foodshare, we’re not just addressing food insecurity, we’re helping relieve stress for families and showing them that their community cares.” According to Feeding America , it is estimated that more than 516,000 Connecticut residents are food insecure. Of them, over 122,000 are children. The in...

Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton discusses policy agendas with WBNY and The Record

photo credit: Cait Malilay In collaboration with WBNY , The Record met with Buffalo mayoral candidate India Walton on Oct. 17 at her campaign office to discuss her policy agendas. In the last half decade, Walton was involved in several advocacy groups, but the turning point that inspired her to run for mayor was during the pandemic when she was working as Executive Director for the Fruit Belt Community Land Trust. She couldn’t believe the phone calls she was receiving from the Fruit Belt neighborhood. Community members were reaching out saying that they were struggling with food insecurity and had no running water during the public health crisis. What also sparked Walton’s interest in running for mayor was witnessing the young generation calling for leaders to handle police misconduct during the Black Lives Matter protests. Referring to the incident involving two Buffalo police officers who shoved a 75-year-old man during a George Floyd protest, Walton said that she felt incumbent May...

SUNY Buffalo State College’s mock trial team shares what they loved most about returning to in person competition

SUNY Buffalo State College Mock Trial Team (left to right) Dominique Zirpola, Grace Gallagher, Vincent Bai, Lindsey Roth, Madeline Crosby, David Ben-Merre, Cait Malilay, Jerick Flores, Mimi Byrne, John Quinane and Jillian Tung Buffalo State College’s mock trial team shared what it was like competing for the first time in person at the Third Annual Geneseo Joust on Nov. 20 and 21 since the COVID-19 pandemic. The whole team, coached by David Ben-Merre, an English professor, was so happy to be back in person. “This year, it’s been great to be back in person and be able to compete safely,” he said in an email. Ben-Merre, who began coaching mock trial in 2008, said that although it was fun to be able to compete last year over Zoom, it felt like something important was missing. Vincent Bai, a University of Arizona graduate and mentor who helps coach the English-389 class, said that he judged a few competitions virtually, but observing online, he could tell that it comes with its challenges i...

Type Away Cait

Search This Blog