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The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly rejected a Republican-led effort to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar, highlighting the deep partisan divides that continue to shape Congress. The 214–213 vote on Wednesday evening tabled the resolution, which was introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina. Four Republicans broke with their party and sided with Democrats to block the measure.
Mace’s resolution sought to formally censure Omar and remove her from her committee posts on Education and Budget. She accused the Minnesota Democrat of disparaging conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a recent interview and claimed Omar smeared his legacy after his assassination. Mace went further, suggesting Omar should be deported to Somalia, the country where she was born before arriving in the U.S. as a refugee and later becoming a citizen in 2000.
Omar dismissed the accusations as false and politically motivated, arguing that Mace was using her name to score political points. She said the effort was a distraction and an attempt to boost Mace’s profile as she campaigns for governor.
The resolution triggered a lively debate inside the chamber, with some Republicans distancing themselves from Mace’s push. Rep. Tom McClintock of California, while condemning Omar’s remarks as “vile and contemptible,” said she still had the right to express her opinions. He emphasized that the First Amendment protects even speech that many consider hateful. Similarly, Rep. Jeff Hurd of Colorado said silencing opponents was not the answer, noting that “the right response to reprehensible speech isn’t censorship, it’s more speech.” He added that Charlie Kirk himself had practiced that principle.
In an unusual twist, Rep. Cory Mills, a Republican from Florida, voted with Democrats to table the measure against Omar. Mills is facing his own controversy, as Democrats recently introduced a resolution against him over allegations of misconduct. His vote signaled how censures have increasingly become tools of partisan back-and-forth rather than serious disciplinary actions.
Outside Congress, the fallout from Kirk’s death continues to shape political conversation. Republican lawmakers have introduced tributes and legislative proposals in his name. Senator Mike Lee put forward the “Charlie Kirk Act,” a bill aimed at restricting what conservatives call government “domestic propaganda.” Meanwhile, some House conservatives have floated the idea of new committees to investigate what they describe as “radical left networks.”
Civil rights groups also weighed in after the vote. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) praised lawmakers for rejecting what it described as dishonest and racist attacks against Omar. At the same time, the group cautioned that the fight may not be over, since Republican lawmakers could revive the censure effort in the future.
The failed resolution adds to a broader pattern in Congress, where censures have become increasingly common and politicized. Once seen as a rare and serious punishment, censures in recent years have turned into a weapon used by both parties against political rivals. Since 2021, lawmakers have reached for the tool repeatedly, often in response to highly charged partisan disputes.
The close vote over Omar shows both the limits of partisan discipline and the fatigue among many lawmakers over the constant use of censure resolutions. While Wednesday’s outcome spared Omar from formal punishment, the sharp rhetoric on both sides makes clear that the practice is unlikely to fade anytime soon.