Ilhan Omar Says US Foreign Policy Should Be Overhauled From the ‘Perspective of a Foreigner’

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Jan. 24, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) said in a recent interview that she thinks the U.S. foreign policy should have a “Green New Deal”-style overhaul, claiming that she can help by bringing “the perspective of a foreigner.”

“When I think about foreign policy, we need something equivalent to the Green New Deal,” Omar told Minneapolis Star-Tribune, referring to the radical climate change plan introduced by socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) that would have cost as much as $9.3 trillion per year.

Omar, who currently holds a seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, continued by saying, “It’s important for me to think about what an overhaul of our foreign policy should look like from the standpoint of really thinking how it impacts those around the world, and where our values intersect with what’s happening.”

“We spend a lot of money in engaging unwinnable wars, and I don’t think it matches with the values of trying to create prosperity in the United States,” she added.

Omar, who came to the United States as a refugee from Somali and became naturalized, did not explain what she meant by saying she has “the perspective of a foreigner.” But according to the Star-Tribune, “she'd like to see a vastly downscaled U.S. military presence around the world, and much less direct intervention in the domestic politics of other countries.”

The freshman congresswoman has repeatedly received widespread condemnation for her anti-semitic rhetoric, comments related to other foreign policy issues like Venezuela, and what some call a blame-America attitude.

In one instance, Omar argued that U.S. sanctions are the reason for the collapse of Venezuela under illegitimate dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Omar said during an interview with left-leaning Democracy Now! program that “a lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela.”

“This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States,” she added.

The congresswoman was also under fire for sharing anti-Semitic tropes on Twitter, where she implied that a prominent pro-Israel lobby group, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), paid off lawmakers for their support of Israel. She later sparked more outrage when she accused some politicians in Washington who supported Israel as having dual loyalty. The freshman congresswoman has since apologized for her comments.

More recently, Omar criticized the intelligence of American voters who do not agree with her politics, claiming “ignorance really is pervasive in many parts of this country.”

She attracted extensive backlash for her various remarks, including from Vice President Mike Pence who said on May 10 that Omar has “no place” on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and has also called on the Democratic leadership to oust her.

“Look, Ilhan Omar has made statements, antisemitic comments, statements against our most cherished ally, Israel, that ought to be rejected by every American,” Pence said during an interview with Fox and Friends. “And frankly the fact that very recently she has been trying to blame the United States of America for the deprivation and poverty brought on by the dictatorship in Venezuela.”

Omar’s Ties to Radical Anti-US Group

The Epoch Times previously reported that Omar’s links with the far-left group Witness for Peace had raised some questions about her suitability to serve on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

It was revealed in February this year that she had traveled with the group to Honduras in 2017 while she was serving in the Minnesota state legislature.

The Witness for Peace group was formed during the Reagan administration to oppose U.S. policies aimed at stopping the spread of communism, and it also supports Cuban and Venezuelan socialism.

Omar tweeted about the trip in 2017, saying “after traveling to Honduras as part of the Witness for Peace delegation, I’ve returned home with a heavy heart and deep concern for the electoral process and human rights crisis the people of Honduras are enduring.” Shortly afterward, she began urging Congress to end all military and security aid to Honduras.

Trevor Loudon, an expert on Marxist groups and the radical left who is a contributor to The Epoch Times, said in a previous interview that the group has been supporting revolutionary movements in Latin America since the Reagan era.

“Witness for Peace was there trying to help the revolutionary groups that the American government was trying to suppress. They were working directly to help foreign enemies of America against this country,” he said.

“[They were] sort of an alliance of the religious left, the hard Marxist left, Latin America’s revolutionary movements who are militantly opposed to America.”

He said it was concerning that Omar attended the travel delegation not long before she was elected to Congress and while she was serving in the Minnesota state legislature.

“Ilhan Omar is connected to many socialist groups in Minnesota, but this one is international in scope and very well connected to active revolutionary movements who are working to cause trouble in America,” he said.

“Basically, she has put her loyalty to the revolutionary groups in Latin America over her loyalty to the United States. So how can she be trusted with secrets? How can she be trusted to not promote their policies?”