Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was “thrilled” that Congress secured debt relief for Somalia, but ultimately voted against the appropriations bill that provided that relief.
“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,” Omar said in a December 17 statement.
She called the debt relief package a “major milestone that validates the incredible progress Somalia has made in the past several years.”
“Debt relief is a step in the right direction, and I look forward to continuing to work for the free, peaceful, democratic Somalia we all want to see,” said Omar. The freshman congresswoman, however, voted against House Resolution 1158, an appropriations bill that provided debt relief for Somalia, and House Resolution 1865 because they both “fail to hold this president accountable for his human rights abuses.”
Shortly after releasing her first statement, she issued a second statement explaining why she actually voted against the bill.
“Rather than using our mandate for reform, the national security bill passed today maintains the status quo in foreign policy, giving the president a blank check to continue unwinnable wars, allows him to fund his racist border wall, and increases funding for human rights abuses under ICE,” she said.
This, according to Omar, is “simply unconscionable.”
“The second package maintains the global gag rule and the Hyde amendment, creates a backdoor way to eliminate aid and starve the Palestinian people, recognizes support for Juan Guaidó as President of Venezuela and includes $1.3 billion in military funding for Egyptian dictator Abdel Fattah el-Sisi,” she continued.
According to Reuters, Somalia has about $5 billion in external debt, which accounts for nearly 100 percent of its GDP. The U.S. is the largest creditor and holds about $1.1 billion in the country’s debt.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ilhan Omar” by Lorie Shaull. CC BY-SA 2.0. Background Photo “Mogadishu” by Mohamed958543. CC BY-SA 4.0.
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