Press Releases
WASHINGTON–Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) issued the following statement on securing debt relief for Somalia in H.R. 1158 – the DHS Cyber Hunt and Incident Response Teams Act.
"I am thrilled we were able to secure debt relief for Somalia today. Somalia continues to hold crushing amounts of debt—which holds back the economy and keeps millions of Somalis in poverty. This doesn't just have an impact on Somalis in Somalia, but on the thousands of Somali- Americans who live in my district and have family in the region.
WASHINGTON–Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) issued the following statement on H.R. 5038 – Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2019:
"The Farm Workforce Modernization Act is a major step forward for our immigration system and our workers. There are currently 2.4 million farmworkers in this country, half of whom are undocumented. And agriculture creates 147,000 jobs in Minnesota—more than almost any other state. Under the Trump Administration, these workers are subject to routine abuse and violations of their basic rights.
WASHINGTON–Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) issued the following statement on the conference report for the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA):
"At a time when Minnesotans have unmet needs in healthcare, education and housing, it is simply unconscionable to pass a NDAA bill that continues to fund wasteful Pentagon spending to the tune of $738 billion. This bill commits the U.S. to endless involvement in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, continues funding for endless war under the 2001 AUMF, and does nothing to prevent the Administration from launching a disastrous war with Iran.
WASHINGTON—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) today discussed the Cedar-Riverside fire, which broke out in a 25-story public housing building in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, and the nationwide housing crisis on the Floor of the House of Representatives. Rep. Omar announced new legislative steps to address the safety of public housing in the coming weeks.
WASHINGTON—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) introduced the Homes for All Act today, which will dramatically expand the public housing stock in the United States and guarantee housing as a human right. The bill will authorize construction of 12 million new public housing and private, permanently affordable rental units, driving down costs throughout the market and creating a new vision of what public housing looks like in the U.S.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) today voted for the College Affordability Act in the House Education and Labor Committee – a strong, comprehensive overhaul of higher education policy that ensures students can spend less and earn more. This bill will make college more affordable, improve the quality of education, prevent predatory for-profit schools from defrauding students and increase federal assistance to low and middle income students.
WASHINGTON - Rep. Ilhan Omar issued the following statement after voting "no" on H.R. 4695, the Protect Against Conflict by Turkey (PACT) Act and "present" on H.Res. 296, Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide.
WASHINGTON – Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) released a new photo series called #Fightingforthe5th, which aims to highlight the everyday needs of constituents in the 5th district of Minnesota and what Rep. Omar's office is doing to serve them. During her tenure, Rep. Omar's office has completed 207cases and returned $411,635 to her constituents in the 5th District of Minnesota.
WASHINGTON, October 15 — Today, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) announced the introduction of the Universal School Meals Program Act to help provide free breakfast, lunch, and dinner to every student in America—without demanding they prove they are poor enough to deserve help getting three meals a day.
WASHINGTON – Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA) today introduced the Student Loan Advocacy Act. The bill improves the services that the Federal Student Aid (FSA) Office provides to millions of Americans currently holding federal student loan debt. In addition to creating a Borrower Advocate role within the FSA, the legislation sets up accountability metrics to ensure the agency is protecting the needs of student borrowers across the country.