Focusing on human rights, women’s rights and worker’s rights were my priorities in Congress in 2023

We are at a pivotal moment for our district, our state, and our country.

Jobs have begun to come back to Minnesota, inflation is at its lowest level in two years, and the share of working-age Americans in the workforce is the highest it’s been in 20 years. But far too many Minnesotans still struggle to pay the bills. We have a shortage of affordable housing, rent continues to rise and the climate crisis promises to wreak havoc on our state for generations to come. The Supreme Court’s shameful decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has led to a nationwide assault on reproductive rights from far-right Republican legislatures. What’s more, we are seeing the acute impacts of our failed foreign policy. The attacks by Hamas on innocent Israelis have claimed approximately 1,200 lives, and as of this writing, the Israeli siege on Gaza has displaced nearly 2 million people and killed nearly 20,000 –70% of them women and children – much of it using U.S. weapons.

As the representative for Minnesota’s 5^th District, I have sought to face these challenges with courage, compassion, and conviction. In Congress, I advocated for and helped pass the most historic piece of climate legislation in history – and continue to support bold efforts like a bill to end all fossil fuel subsidies and a Green New Deal for Public Schools. I carry the Homes for All legislation, which seeks a historic investment in public and affordable housing to transform our housing market and end homelessness.  I’ve also brought over $700 million in federal grant funding for critical services like improving pedestrian safety, childcare and combatting hunger. As a leader of the House Budget Committee and Progressive Caucus, I’ve continued to fight for the progressive values Minnesotans sent me to advocate for – whether it’s fighting to codify Roe v. Wade into law, addressing the opioid crisis or fighting for an assault weapons ban. Together we’ve been able to achieve a lot, including the passage of my bill, the MEALS Act, a bill I wrote and passed to feed 30 million students during the pandemic, and a landmark public safety bill I negotiated to secure major investments in local departments and real common sense accountability and reforms.

In foreign policy, promoting peace and accountability for human rights violations has defined my efforts in Congress. Over this past year alone, I have engaged with world leaders and non-governmental organizations around the world, and sought accountability for human rights abuses in Somalia, India, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Pakistan, Iran, Qatar, Central America and many more. I also founded the U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group, which has served as a critical forum for advancing our engagement with the African continent, something critically important to communities in the 5^th District. Most recently, I pushed U.S. and international leaders to secure an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, release civilian hostages, halt weapons sales enabling war crimes, and allow impartial investigations into reported atrocities. I am proud to announce that we successfully secured the evacuation of multiple constituents out of Israel and the Gaza Strip. While entrenched conflicts often appear intractable, the international community must persistently demand accountability, dialogue, and good-faith efforts towards peace.

Over the past two terms I’ve secured over $41 million in community projects for the 5th. This funding directly responds to some of the most urgent needs faced by vulnerable communities across the district. It has enabled dozens of vital organizations to continue serving residents, including a food shelf in Columbia Heights, the Southside Village Boys and Girls Club, the Northside Youth Greenhouse, affordable housing through Avenues for Youth Housing, an expansion of the Native American Community Clinic, the Cedar Riverside People’s Center, Shiloh Cares Food Shelf in north Minneapolis, and countless others. None of this would have been possible without constant meetings and engagement with the communities we represent to hear their needs. To that end, I’ve held more than 20 town halls and roundtables throughout the district and opened a new District Office at Sabathani Community Center.

Moreover, Minnesota recently became the first state to establish a dedicated office for missing and murdered Black women and girls. The initial results were extremely promising, so I worked with the local advocates behind the bill to introduce the Brittany Clardy Missing and Murdered Black Women and Girls Act – named after a Minnesotan woman – at the federal level to address this nationwide crisis and alarming disparity in violence and victimization. I am proud to say that the bill now has more than 80 cosponsors, including nearly every member of the Congressional Black Caucus. Creating a national office will not only provide more resources and attention to solving these cases, but also reaffirm our commitment to ensuring every Black life is valued and protected equally under the law.

During President Biden’s recent Minnesota manufacturing tour, I joined him at the Cummins plant in Fridley. The Inflation Reduction Act that Congress passed last year is spurring major renewable energy investments like those at Cummins. It was a reminder the big change is still possible – and together we can tackle the big problems our country and our district face.

There are still many crucial fights ahead of us, but our district has proven its resilience time and again when we work strategically and stand united. Onward to another productive year of fighting for the 5^th.

Rep. Ilhan Omar represents Minnesota’s 5^th Congressional District.