Rep. Ilhan Omar Appointed to Foreign Affairs, Education & Labor Committees

WASHINGTON—Rep. Ilhan Omar (DFL-MN) will sit on the House Foreign Affairs Committee in the 116th Congress, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced Wednesday night. This comes two days after Rep. Omar was named to the Education & Labor Committee.

The Foreign Affairs Committee oversees all foreign assistance, national security affecting the country's foreign policy, treaties, peacekeeping and war powers.

"As someone who has seen firsthand the havoc wreaked by war, I am proud to serve on the committee that is responsible for overseeing our country's—and this President's—actions abroad," Rep. Omar said. "This couldn't come at a more critical time. We need to use the committee's human rights jurisdiction to hold the President accountable for deaths in detention centers on his watch. We need to investigate how foreign governments and their lobbyists have violated our laws. And we need to reign in arms sales to human rights abusers like Saudi Arabia. I look forward to working with Chairman Engel and the committee to pursue these priorities."

The Education & Labor Committee oversees education programs at all levels—from pre-school to higher education—including Head Start, child nutrition programs, higher education programs, and financial oversight of the U.S. Department of Education. It also oversees labor initiatives—from job training to retirement security, union rights, occupational health and safety, and the minimum wage.

"I am honored to serve on a committee that can make a tangible difference in Minnesotans' everyday lives," Rep. Omar said. "In order to build an economy that works for everyone, we need to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, enact stronger workplace safety laws, support workers' right to collectively bargain and create a federal jobs guarantee program. We also need to ensure that every parent has access to affordable child care and every student can access guarantee tuition-free and debt-free public college.

"The Education and Labor Committee is the committee that can transform these ideas into legislation. I look forward to working with Chairman Scott and my fellow committee members to accomplish these goals and hold the current administration accountable for its efforts to stack the deck further in favor of the wealthy few."