Press Releases
WASHINGTON — U.S. Representatives Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Norma Torres (CA-35), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and 16 Members of Congress asked President Biden in a letter to work with world leaders at the 2021 Climate Summit to address the growing needs of people displaced by the climate crisis.
WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants (NO BAN) Act, legislation introduced by Congressmember Judy Chu (CA-27) and U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) to strengthen the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion.
WASHINGTON—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the extension of nationwide school meal waivers through June 30, 2022. Specifically, these waivers will allow school meal programs and childcare institutions to continue serving healthy meals free of charge to more than 20 million children.
This was possible in part due to the passage of the MEALS Act, authored by Rep. Omar, which provides USDA with the authority to grant certain waivers to provide meals and snacks to students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
MINNEAPOLIS—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement after a verdict was reached in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in her district last summer.
"Today's verdict is a major step on the path towards justice and accountability. I thank our incredible Attorney General Keith Ellison and the prosecution team, who successfully prosecuted a law enforcement homicide—notoriously difficult cases to successfully prosecute and held a murderer accountable on all charges.
MINNEAPOLIS–Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released the following statement after the news of the passing of Walter Mondale.
"Walter Mondale was a giant in Minnesota politics, an advocate for peace, fair housing, women's rights and consumer protection for the better part of five decades in politics. He was a champion of civil rights—spearheading the Fair Housing Act of 1968 and helping to pass the Voting Rights Act and two Civil Rights Acts.
WASHINGTON – Today, Representatives Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) and John Rutherford (FL-4) introduced bipartisan legislation to encourage public housing authorities to equip their older units with sprinkler systems improving the safety of residents and local communities. The Public Housing Fire Safety Act would create a grant program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide funds to public housing authorities who wish to retrofit older high-rise apartments.
WASHINGTON—Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) led more than two dozen Members of Congress in a letter to President Biden urging him to formalize the Presidential Determination to increase the refugee admissions target for this fiscal year, following reports that the United States is on pace to set the record for the lowest refugee resettlement in recent history. The letter also calls for the removal of the discriminatory restrictions on the program that was inherited from the previous administration.