This debate today.
It's about who gets to be an American.
What opinions do we get to have
Do we have to have to be counted
as Americans?
This is what this debate is about.
Madam Speaker,
there is this idea that you are a suspect
if you are an immigrant
or if you are from certain parts
of the world
or a certain skin tone or a Muslim.
It is no accident
that members
of the Republican Party
accused the first black president,
Barack Obama, of being a secret Muslim.
It is no accident that former
President Donald Trump
let a birther movement
that falsely claimed he was born in Kenya
because to them, falsely labeling
the first
and only
president of the United
States of America,
a Muslim, an African immigrant,
somehow made him less American.
Well,
I am Muslim.
I am an immigrant.
And interestingly from Africa,
Is anyone surprised
that I am being targeted?
Is anyone surprised that I am somehow
deemed unworthy
to speak about American foreign policy
or that they see me
as a powerful voice
that needs to be silenced
Frankly, it is expected
because when you push power,
power pushes back,
representation matters
continuing to expand our ideas of
who is American
and who can partake
in the American experience
experiment is a good thing.
I am an American, an American
who was sent here
an American who was sent here
by her constituents
to represent them in Congress.
A refugee
who survived the horrors of a civil war.
Someone who spent her childhood
in a refugee camp.
Someone who knows what it means
to have a shot
at a better life
here in the United States.
And someone who believes
in the American dream
and the American possibility
and the promise and the ability
to participate in the democratic process.
That is what this debate is about.
There is an idea out there that I am not
that I do not have
objective decision making because of who
I am, where I come from,
and my perspective.
But I reject that We say
there is nothing objective
about policymaking.
We all inject our perspective,
our point of views,
our lived experi alliances
and the voices of our constituents.
That's what democracy is about.
So what is the work
of the Foreign Affairs Committee?
It is not to cosign the stated foreign
policy of whatever administration
is in power.
It's about oversight.
It's the critique
And to advocate
for a better path forward.
But most importantly,
it is to make the myth
that American foreign
policy is intrinsically moral a reality.
So I will continue to speak up
because representation matters.
I will continue to speak up
for little kids
who wonder who is speaking up for them.
I will continue to speak up for families
around the world who are seeking justice,
whether they are
displaced in refugee camps
or they are hiding under their beds
somewhere.
Like I
was waiting for the bullets to stop
because this child
survivor of war would have wanted that.
The nine year old me
would be disappointed
if I didn't talk
about the victims of conflict.
Those that are experiencing
unjust wars, atrocities,
ethnic cleansing,
occupation or displacement like I did.
They are looking
to the international community
and the United States asking for help.
They look to us
because the international community
and the United States profess the values
of protecting human rights
and upholding international law.
So we owe it to them not to make this
a myth, but a reality.
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.
If I am not on this committee
for one term.
My voice will get louder and stronger
and my leadership
will be celebrated around
the world as it has been.
So take your vote or not.
I am here to stay
and I am here to be a voice against harms
around the world and advocate
for a better world.
I yield back.
Ilhan Omar
speaking a fiery
address, a defiant speech
on the floor
of the House of Representatives.
The Republican led House is about to vote
to kick her off the House
Foreign Affairs Committee.
She says it is retribution.
She says it is unfair
she says it is un-American,
but she says it is no surprise to her.
Tracing Donald Trump's
support of the birther movement.
The Republicans who said Barack
Obama as president was secretly a Muslim.
Let's get to our chief
congressional correspondent, Manu Raju.
Mano this vote.
You just heard the defiance
from Congressman Omar.
The vote
that will take place in moments
is a key test of the new speaker
Kevin McCarthy.
He has a very narrow majority
and many of his members are
a little squishy about this
Yeah, no question about it.
He can only lose four Republican votes
in order to allow this
this to succeed,
to kick her off of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee.
And he has been moving
behind the scenes
over the last several days
to shore up
concerns, concerns about this tit for tat
that has occurred after Democrats moved
to Republicans off
of their committee assignments
last Congress.
McCarthy vowing some retribution of sorts
for Ilhan Omar.
Ever since that happened here
and a lot of Republicans
agreeing with them,
but some concern about it.
But behind the scenes,
McCarthy has locked up the votes.
He has indicated that
he has made sure
that his members are in line.
Just moments ago,
Congresswoman Nancy Mace,
who is one who has said
that she would
oppose this
because of her concern
about the precedent
this would set by setting
King off
another member of the committee,
expanding a precedent
from the last Congress.
She said she's actually
going to vote for this
because she got an agreement
from the speaker
to figure out a new process going forward
to allow members to appeal any effort
to try to kick them off of the committee.
There's going to be some language
change to the resolution here.