Pascrell Condemns Republican Removal of Democratic Committee Members

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) today condemned Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for blocking Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA-30) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14) from service on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and McCarthy’s continued push to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

“Kevin McCarthy barricading Congressmen Schiff and Swalwell from continuing service on the Intelligence Committee is a travesty and a disgrace,” Rep. Pascrell. “Under the pretext of fabrications and straight-out character assassinations, Mr. McCarthy has set a terrible precedent and endangers our national security in the process. In truth, Reps. Schiff and Swalwell are being blocked because of their effectiveness in exposing the toxic corruption of the Trump regime. Similarly, the attempted removal of Rep. Omar from the Foreign Affairs panel is without any fair basis and is grounded solely in political retribution. Mr. McCarthy should halt all efforts to remove other qualified Democrats from committees and do his damn job.

“Mr. McCarthy is participating in nothing but bread and circuses – those aren’t my words, but the exact description of one of McCarthy’s own Republican members. By engaging exclusively in partisan games, Mr. McCarthy is demonstrating he is nothing but a speaker in-name-only, subservient to the extremists in the Republican caucus to remain in power at any cost. This move today augers poorly for McCarthy’s courage to stop extremists from collapsing America’s economy. Republicans can’t and won’t govern America.”

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