Rep. Omar Statement on Being Elected Deputy Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus

WASHINGTON—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement today after being elected Deputy Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

“It has been an honor to serve as Whip of the Congressional Progressive Caucus for the past two terms, and I am thrilled to take on the challenge of serving our Caucus as Deputy Chair. I want to thank my friend and colleague, our current Deputy Chair Katie Porter, for her incredible leadership these past two years, along with our unwavering Chairwoman Pramila Jayapal.

“As a Caucus, progressives have been able to shape some of the most consequential pieces of legislation in generations. It was the Progressive Caucus that advocated successfully for student debt cancellation. It was the Progressive Caucus that successfully pushed for massive public investments, unemployment insurance and direct survival checks in the American Rescue Plan. We put our bodies on the line to push for an extension of the eviction moratorium and to protest a corrupt Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. We were able to successfully advocate for commonsense gun safety legislation. And the advocacy of the CPC helped lead to the landmark Inflation Reduction Act, which will lower drug prices, create millions of good-paying jobs and create the most consequential reduction in carbon emissions in our country’s history.

“In the face of Republican threats to our democracy and our humanity, we will need to be clear-eyed and organized in the term ahead. We will need a legislative strategy to stop the most egregious cuts. We will need a messaging strategy that uses our bully pulpit to push back against their agenda. And we will need a political strategy to elect and reelect progressive champions.

“To do that, we will need to lead with our values, to not shy away from the diversity, freedoms and ideals that make the unfinished project of the American Republic great. I vow to work closely with each and every Member of the Caucus to stand up for those values.”

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