Rep. Ilhan Omar. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images.
The House of Representatives is preparing to vote on a resolution to recall members of the House of Representatives. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) was removed from the Foreign Affairs Committee as early as Wednesday after Republicans found a way to bring key GOP opponents on board.
Why it matters: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) appeared to be on the verge of avoiding another destabilizing defeat just weeks after his presidential election was voted by a historic 15 votes.
- Republicans have been dragging their feet in scheduling the vote, with three GOP dissenters and the absence of several others keeping them below the threshold needed to pass the party-line bill with a five-vote majority.
- Republicans are targeting Omar, a prominent progressive and critic of Israel, for her past anti-Semitic remarks. She apologized for some tweets in 2019.
Push news: The rules committee will meet Tuesday night to consider a resolution to kick Omar off her committee and schedule it for a vote in the House as soon as this week.
- The meeting was held after the House of Representatives. Victoria Spaatz (R-Ind.), one of three Republicans planning to vote against it, said Tuesday she would vote for the resolution, which adds to the bill allowing members to file a complaint against their removal from the committee. The wording of the appeal.
- “I thank Speaker McCarthy for his willingness to address legitimate concerns and include due process language in our resolution,” she said in a statement.
- Republicans have the votes, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) told Axios.
detail: The text of the resolution, introduced by the House of Representatives. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said Tuesday that “any member of Congress reserves the right to file a complaint with the Ethics Committee as grounds for appeal to the Speaker of the House to reconsider any committee removal decision.”
- During the process, the ethics committee — split evenly by party — would “conduct an investigation and then make a ruling,” Miller told Axios.
the other side: Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.), the top Democrat on the House Ethics Committee, said Republicans would have to change House rules to create the process.
- “They can’t just deliver something with tomorrow’s resolution against Omar, which includes changing the rules of ethics,” she said. “I read the rule pack and there’s nothing in it.”
What are they saying: Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) told Axios that the language was intended to address the concerns of multiple members who “want to ensure there is due process.”
- But not everyone is shaken. “I’m still a ‘no,'” said Rep. Ken Barker (R-Colo.) told Axios on Tuesday that he was concerned about the partisan tit-for-tat over committee mandates.
- Rep. Undecided Dave Joyce (R-Ohio) told Axios last week that his main concern is to give Omar “due process” and “an opportunity to defend her earlier statements.” He said Tuesday that he has not seen the resolution.