But the emotionally charged floor debate over Omar was a departure from the bipartisan outrage she faced in her first year in office. “My friend Ilhan Omar and I have worked together toward the values that I treasure as an American Jew and that she treasures as an American Islamic woman, the only one on the Foreign Affairs Committee.”ĭemocrats called it payback because they had used their majority in the last Congress to oust far-right GOP lawmakers from committees for their incendiary, violent remark s. “I don’t need any of you to defend me against antisemitism,” said Rep. The best example of this came in early February when every single House Democrat voted against a GOP resolution to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her past comments critical of Israel. In interviews with nearly a dozen Democrats in the House and Senate, lawmakers portray Omar as a serious legislator who in the past four years has earned admiration for giving voice to marginalized groups often forgotten on Capitol Hill. It was a recognition of how far Omar has come after a rocky start to her political career that at times made her standing with Democrats appear tenuous.Īs she settles into her third term, Omar is no longer defined by the “firsts” that accompanied her arrival in Congress: one of the first Muslim women in the House, the first refugee from Africa elected to the House, the first lawmaker to wear a hijab while on the House floor. “You never stop working to level the playing field for everybody.”įor Omar, the quick flash of praise from Biden - who was neither her first nor second choice to be the party’s 2020 White House nominee - was more than just a courtesy shout-out during a presidential visit to her suburban Minneapolis district. “I want to thank you for being here,” Biden said, gesturing toward Democratic Rep. WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden was winding up for a speech at a Minnesota clean energy facility when he spotted a lawmaker in the crowd whom he wanted to recognize.
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