Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) plans to introduce a resolution Wednesday to strip Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) of her committee assignments for repeatedly making anti-Muslim remarks aimed at Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), hoping the action forces House Democratic leadership to punish the lawmaker before the end of the year.
Pressley’s resolution, first obtained by The Washington Post, comes amid mounting pressure by House Democrats for Boebert to be reprimanded for Islamophobic attacks that surfaced in a video in which the Colorado Republican, speaking at an event in her district over Thanksgiving break, likened Omar to a suicide bomber.
Nearly a dozen House liberals — including Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Judy Chu (Calif.), Jesús “Chuy” García (Ill.), Jimmy Gomez (Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) — have co-sponsored the resolution.
House GOP leaders face calls to confront Islamophobia among their ranks
“For a Member of Congress to repeatedly use hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobic tropes towards a Muslim colleague is dangerous. It has no place in our society and it diminishes the honor of the institution we serve in,” Pressley said in a statement.
“Without meaningful accountability for that Member’s actions, we risk normalizing this behavior and endangering the lives of our Muslim colleagues, Muslim staffers and every Muslim who calls America home. The House must unequivocally condemn this incendiary rhetoric and immediately pass this resolution. How we respond in moments like these will have lasting impacts, and history will remember us for it,” Pressley added.
Omar expects 'decisive action' from Pelosi on Boebert
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said on Dec. 5, she expected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to take "decisive action" against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). (The Washington Post)
But it’s unclear whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will be persuaded to take action after the resolution’s introduction. And the resolution is not considered “privileged,” meaning leadership is not required to immediately consider it on the floor.
On Tuesday, Pelosi lashed out at reporters for asking whether Democratic leadership would take action against Boebert, directing reporters to ask Republicans how they planned on disciplining their own members.
“All you do is ask us what we’re doing about what they should be doing as far as their members but as their behavior is beneath the dignity of this institution,” Pelosi said.
Another video of Boebert was unearthed by MSNBC on Tuesday night in which she called Omar “a terrorist” and accused her of praising terrorists. Other staunch allies of former president Donald Trump in the House, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have repeatedly targeted members of the liberal “Squad” by falsely calling them terrorist sympathizers.
“This is why so many Muslims across the country have reached out to our office and to other members of Congress because they know when anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia isn’t addressed, it’s the Muslim community that ends up paying for it,” Omar told MSNBC host Joy Reid of the clip.
Democrats behind the resolution are hoping it propels leadership to take decisive action against Boebert, following similar steps Pelosi took to censure Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.), who was booted off his committees for sharing an anime video depicting him killing Ocasio-Cortez and swinging swords at President Biden.
Democrats established the precedent earlier this year by removing Greene from her committee assignments after several videos depicted her espousing conspiratorial, false and racist views before her time on Capitol Hill.
Inaction by House Democratic leaders has irked many in the caucus, who argue that Democrats should recognize the dangers of leaving Boebert unpunished while calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to reprimand the Colorado Republican as well.
An aide familiar with a meeting last week between Pelosi and Omar said the speaker expressed confidence that the House would address Boebert’s remarks in some way. It led Omar to tell CNN’s Jake Tapper over the weekend that she was “very confident” that Pelosi would take action against Boebert.
“I’ve had a conversation with the speaker, and I’m very confident that she will take decisive action next week,” she said. “As you know, when I first got to Congress, I was worried that, you know, I wasn’t going to be allowed to be sworn in because there was a ban on the hijab. She promised me that she’d take care of it. She fulfilled that promise. She made another promise to me that she will take care of this, and I believe her.”
However, there has been no reassurance since from Democratic leaders that the House will act before lawmakers head home for the holidays. Privately, some Democratic aides say punishing Boebert would only establish a messy precedent that could force Democrats to censure members every time they make false, racist or cruel statements.
There is also an acknowledgment that punishing Republicans may only embolden some of them, helping them fundraise with their base. Even so, members of the group backing the resolution hope leadership will listen to them and act.
“There must be consequences for vicious workplace harassment and abuse that creates an environment so unsafe for colleagues and staff that it invites death threats against them,” Jayapal said. “There must be consequences for elected representatives who traffic in anti-Muslim and racist tropes that make all Muslims across the country less safe.”
Pressley’s resolution, first obtained by The Washington Post, comes amid mounting pressure by House Democrats for Boebert to be reprimanded for Islamophobic attacks that surfaced in a video in which the Colorado Republican, speaking at an event in her district over Thanksgiving break, likened Omar to a suicide bomber.
Nearly a dozen House liberals — including Democratic Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.), Cori Bush (Mo.), Judy Chu (Calif.), Jesús “Chuy” García (Ill.), Jimmy Gomez (Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (Wash.), Barbara Lee (Calif.), Rashida Tlaib (Mich.) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) — have co-sponsored the resolution.
House GOP leaders face calls to confront Islamophobia among their ranks
“For a Member of Congress to repeatedly use hateful, anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobic tropes towards a Muslim colleague is dangerous. It has no place in our society and it diminishes the honor of the institution we serve in,” Pressley said in a statement.
“Without meaningful accountability for that Member’s actions, we risk normalizing this behavior and endangering the lives of our Muslim colleagues, Muslim staffers and every Muslim who calls America home. The House must unequivocally condemn this incendiary rhetoric and immediately pass this resolution. How we respond in moments like these will have lasting impacts, and history will remember us for it,” Pressley added.
Omar expects 'decisive action' from Pelosi on Boebert
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said on Dec. 5, she expected House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to take "decisive action" against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.). (The Washington Post)
But it’s unclear whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will be persuaded to take action after the resolution’s introduction. And the resolution is not considered “privileged,” meaning leadership is not required to immediately consider it on the floor.
On Tuesday, Pelosi lashed out at reporters for asking whether Democratic leadership would take action against Boebert, directing reporters to ask Republicans how they planned on disciplining their own members.
“All you do is ask us what we’re doing about what they should be doing as far as their members but as their behavior is beneath the dignity of this institution,” Pelosi said.
Another video of Boebert was unearthed by MSNBC on Tuesday night in which she called Omar “a terrorist” and accused her of praising terrorists. Other staunch allies of former president Donald Trump in the House, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), have repeatedly targeted members of the liberal “Squad” by falsely calling them terrorist sympathizers.
“This is why so many Muslims across the country have reached out to our office and to other members of Congress because they know when anti-Muslim hatred and Islamophobia isn’t addressed, it’s the Muslim community that ends up paying for it,” Omar told MSNBC host Joy Reid of the clip.
Democrats behind the resolution are hoping it propels leadership to take decisive action against Boebert, following similar steps Pelosi took to censure Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.), who was booted off his committees for sharing an anime video depicting him killing Ocasio-Cortez and swinging swords at President Biden.
Democrats established the precedent earlier this year by removing Greene from her committee assignments after several videos depicted her espousing conspiratorial, false and racist views before her time on Capitol Hill.
Inaction by House Democratic leaders has irked many in the caucus, who argue that Democrats should recognize the dangers of leaving Boebert unpunished while calling on House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to reprimand the Colorado Republican as well.
An aide familiar with a meeting last week between Pelosi and Omar said the speaker expressed confidence that the House would address Boebert’s remarks in some way. It led Omar to tell CNN’s Jake Tapper over the weekend that she was “very confident” that Pelosi would take action against Boebert.
“I’ve had a conversation with the speaker, and I’m very confident that she will take decisive action next week,” she said. “As you know, when I first got to Congress, I was worried that, you know, I wasn’t going to be allowed to be sworn in because there was a ban on the hijab. She promised me that she’d take care of it. She fulfilled that promise. She made another promise to me that she will take care of this, and I believe her.”
However, there has been no reassurance since from Democratic leaders that the House will act before lawmakers head home for the holidays. Privately, some Democratic aides say punishing Boebert would only establish a messy precedent that could force Democrats to censure members every time they make false, racist or cruel statements.
There is also an acknowledgment that punishing Republicans may only embolden some of them, helping them fundraise with their base. Even so, members of the group backing the resolution hope leadership will listen to them and act.
“There must be consequences for vicious workplace harassment and abuse that creates an environment so unsafe for colleagues and staff that it invites death threats against them,” Jayapal said. “There must be consequences for elected representatives who traffic in anti-Muslim and racist tropes that make all Muslims across the country less safe.”
