House Passes Anti-Hate Resolution after Days of Debate over Response to Omar Comments
The House on Thursday overwhelmingly - but notably, not unanimously - passed a resolution to condemn anti-Semitism, racism and Islamophobia, ending days of spirited debate over the appropriate response to recent comments from Minnesota Democratic freshman Ilhan Omar.
The final vote was 407-23. All of the "no" votes came from Republicans, including their No. 3, Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney of Wyoming. Cheney was among the first three "no" votes recorded, and several other Republicans seemed to be following her lead.
Most Democrats and Republicans said Omar's recent comments questioning "the political influence in this country that says it is OK to push for allegiance to a foreign country" was anti-Semitic because it invoked a dangerous stereotype about dual loyalties.
But many rank-and-file Democrats objected to their leaders' effort to respond to that remark with a resolution rejecting the myth of dual loyalty and condemning anti-Semitism. They said it unfairly attacked Omar when others have regularly espoused hateful rhetoric.
Democratic leaders, working with the heads of several committees and caucuses, responded to those concerns by updating the resolution with language that rejected other forms of hate such as anti-Muslim discrimination and racism.
The vote on Thursday was delayed slightly more than an hour after Democrats made one final tweak to add a clause about white supremacists continuing "to exploit bigotry and weaponize hate for political gain."
Ilhan Omar, who joined her colleagues in voting for the resolution, declined to answer reporters' questions after the vote. She did, however, put out a joint statement with fellow Muslim Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and André Carson of Indiana reflecting on the "historic" nature of day.
"It's the first time we have voted on a resolution condemning anti-Muslim bigotry in our nation's history. Anti-Muslim crimes have increased 99% from 2014-2016 and are still on the rise," they said.
The three Muslim Democrats added: "We are tremendously proud to be part of a body that has put forth a condemnation of all forms of bigotry including anti-Semitism, racism, and white supremacy. At a time when extremism is on the rise, we must explicitly denounce religious intolerance of all kinds and acknowledge the pain felt by all communities. Our nation is having a difficult conversation and we believe this is great progress."
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