Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., says the House will vote on a resolution Thursday to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
But the move comes, according to The Hill, after the House approved, by unanimous consent, Democrat assignments for the committee, officially installing Omar on its panel. Republicans have sought to remove Omar for comments she made deemed antisemitic.
McCarthy made the announcement after Rep. Ken Buck, R-Colo., who opposed the resolution last week, revealed he would now support an ouster of Omar. Buck's change of heart came after a phone call with McCarthy, who suggested he would reform the process for kicking members off committees.
Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., also announced her support for the resolution after McCarthy agreed to add "due process language" to the resolution.
However, Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., remains opposed to the resolution, stating she does not support "cancel culture" or silencing opinions she does not agree with. If Democrats are united in opposition, Republicans can only afford to lose four votes. McCarthy did not confirm if all Republicans would vote to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs panel.
The effort to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs panel has been a two-plus-year effort by McCarthy, who vowed to remove her should Republicans take control of the House. Omar has been critical of the Israeli government and its supporters. Some Democrats see the effort as political revenge for when the Democrat-controlled House voted to strip Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., and Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., of their committee assignments in 2021.
McCarthy also followed through on his pledge to block Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., from the House Intelligence Committee. A majority of the House must agree to remove Omar from the Foreign Affairs panel.
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