WASHINGTON – Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was one of only three House Democrats to vote against a $1.9 billion spending measure that would heighten Capitol security after the Jan. 6 attack.
"A bill that pours $1.9 billion into increased police surveillance and force without addressing the underlying threats of organized and violent white supremacy, radicalization and disinformation that led to this attack will not prevent it from happening again," said Omar in a joint statement, along with representatives Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Cori Bush of Missouri.
The legislation barely passed by a vote of 213 to 212, with three other Democrats voting neither for nor against.
The vote comes amid renewed scrutiny of the Jan. 6 insurrection, which resulted in damage and death and continues to be a lightning rod issue that can fiercely divide Republicans and Democrats in Congress.
The spending measure includes nearly $530 million focused toward physical security improvements within the Capitol complex, according to a summary of the legislation, as well as $200 million to create a "quick reaction force" designed to support Capitol Police. Another $18 million would be spent on body cameras, training and riot control equipment for Capitol Police.
"To be honest, we have not really been made to understand how the money will actually increase the safety," Omar told reporters, according to Roll Call. "And I could just not justify this vote."
The spending on the quick reaction force specifically drew the Democratic trio's ire, who pointed out in their statement that less money is focused on counseling for people who were there on Jan. 6.
They also cited concerns over police brutality in local communities and the need for "a comprehensive investigation and response" that speaks to the "the root cause of the insurrection: white supremacy."
"This bill prioritizes more money for a broken system that has long upheld and protected the white supremacist violence we saw on display that day," the Democrats' statement said.
Their opposition underscores the difficulties for Democrats in the House with their slim majority.
No House Republicans voted for the legislation, including the four GOP members from Minnesota.
"For months, Speaker Pelosi militarized the Capitol Hill campus and turned it into a compound," Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn said in a statement about Thursday's vote. "It still remains on lockdown and a barrier to the American people. Now, the Democrats are pushing this completely wasteful bill of nearly $2 billion."
Other Democrats saw it as vital spending, including Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio.
"We have to act," Ryan said in a House floor speech. "The American people, if they can't see us acting in a bipartisan way when a group of people storm the Capitol, and we can't even pass a bill with Republican support to fix the doors and windows and provide more police officers, how are we going to do anything else?"
The vote came just a day after Omar and other Democrats were joined by 35 Republicans in supporting legislation that would create a bipartisan commission to investigate the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6. None of Minnesota's four Republicans backed that bill either.
Minnesota's other three House Democrats voted Thursday for the Capitol spending bill that faces long odds in the Senate.
"Our citizen soldiers stepped up to protect Members of Congress and staff following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, and it is the responsibility of Congress to pay for the costs incurred by the National Guard," Minnesota Democratic Rep. Betty McCollum said in a statement. "We also need to be prepared should another attack on our democracy occur — and not expect the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department to go it alone. Today's emergency security supplemental will provide robust funding to protect those who work at and visit the U.S. Capitol."
