Ilhan Omar seeks return to foreign affairs committee
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Caasimada Online
Minnesota Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar says she wants to regain her seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, more than three years after Republicans removed her, and is also considering seeking a seat on the Appropriations Committee. If she returned, her seniority could allow her to chair the Africa subcommittee, according to Semafor cited by Caasimada.
US Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar wants to return to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which she left after being removed in February 2023. She also said she was considering a seat on the Appropriations Committee, one of Congress’s most powerful committees, according to comments reported by Semafor.
Ilhan Omar, a Democrat elected from Minnesota, served on the Foreign Affairs Committee from 2019 to February 2023 and was vice-chair of its subcommittee on Africa, global health and human rights. A new appointment could allow her to seek the chairmanship of the Africa subcommittee because of her seniority in Congress, according to Caasimada Online.
Democratic Representative Sara Jacobs of California, who is currently the senior Democratic member of the Africa subcommittee, said the allocation of responsibilities remained under discussion. Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the Foreign Affairs Committee, told Semafor that Ilhan Omar could choose to lead the Africa subcommittee.
The House of Representatives voted in February 2023, by 218 votes to 211, to remove her from the committee. Republicans cited previous comments about Israel and AIPAC, while Ilhan Omar apologised for one of her 2019 statements. She currently sits on the Budget Committee and the Education and Labour Committee, according to Caasimada Online.
