Minneapolis Review

WASHINGTON—Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) launched the U.S.-Africa Policy Working Group Wednesday, featuring 20 Members of Congress committed to building partnership with the continent of Africa.

“With the Africa Policy Working Group, we hope to provide Members and stakeholders with the flexibility and the space to develop a deeper understanding of the issues at hand, and to build deep lasting relationships,” Rep. Omar said. “The Working Group will be active on the various urgent crises in Africa, from the conflicts in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the rash of coups and instability in West Africa and the Sahel. But just as importantly, we will also spend time focusing on the continent’s many success stories, from Senegal’s extraordinary leadership in global health to the inspiring African movements for democracy and human rights. We will also learn about Africa’s interests in the broader global context, hearing directly from Africans about their perspectives on some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the rise of China, and from global pandemics to climate change. And we will hear how crises in Africa affect our own national security interests.

Initial members of the Working Group include Reps. Sara Jacobs, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Sanford Bishop, Colin Allred, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Andre Carson, David Cicilline, Brad Sherman, Dwight Evans, Jamaal Bowman, James P. McGovern, Cori Bush, John Garamendi, Lisa Blunt Rochester, Ayanna Pressley, Gwen Moore, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Melanie Stansbury.

House Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Dean Philips, Rep. Donald Payne, Jr., and Rep. Kweisi Mfume also spoke at the event.

Rep. Omar’s full remarks are below. You can also view her remarks and remarks from other Members here.

This working group is a platform for active, sincere, and consistent engagement with experts, diplomats and policymakers working with and within the continent.

We will hold regular briefings with Administration officials, NGOs, and journalists, and conduct oversight work modeled after our own committees.

But most importantly we will hear directly from people, civil society organizations, and social movements on the ground, to learn how they are being impacted by U.S. policy and how we can partner with them.

This will be done in a spirit of genuine partnership and collaboration and will inform a legislative and oversight strategy for our members.

And we all love our committees, but we also know that committees have limitations—how many witnesses you can have, how much time you can spend talking to them, and how many hearing can be held on a particular topic.

With the Africa Policy Working Group, we hope to provide Members and stakeholders with the flexibility and the space to develop a deeper understanding of the issues at hand, and to build deep lasting relationships.

The Working Group will be active on the various urgent crises in Africa, from the conflicts in Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the rash of coups and instability in West Africa and the Sahel.

But just as importantly, we will also spend time focusing on the continent’s many success stories, from Senegal’s extraordinary leadership in global health to the inspiring African movements for democracy and human rights.

We will also learn about Africa’s interests in the broader global context, hearing directly from Africans about their perspectives on some of the greatest challenges facing the world today, from the Russian invasion of Ukraine to the rise of China, and from global pandemics to climate change.

And we will hear how crises in Africa affect our own national security interests.

To that end, I am announcing that our first official briefing will take place next Thursday and will focus on the ongoing crisis in Sudan.

I am proud to highlight some of the Members of Congress with expertise on the issue who have joined this working group, many of whom are here tonight, including:

Cori Bush, who serves on the Oversight subcommittee with oversight over foreign affairs, and who is a relentless champion for access to health and justice;

John Garamendi, who is a returned Peace Corps volunteer who served in Ethiopia, and is co-chair of the Ethiopian-American Caucus;

Sara Jacobs, who is the Ranking Member of the subcommittee on Africa in the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and has brought creativity and insight to war powers, counterterrorism policy, and human rights on the continent;

Sydney Kamlager-Dove, a Freshman member of the subcommittee on Africa, who has already introduced a resolution I am proud to support on the importance of U.S.-African Union relations;

Jim McGovern, the co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and a long-time fierce champion of human rights, conflict resolution, and food security;

Ayanna Pressley, the Chair of the Abortion Rights and Access Task Force, and a stalwart supporter of reproductive rights, health access, and justice in both domestic and foreign policy;

Lisa Blunt Rochester, who has dedicated her life to public service and civil rights, and who is a consistent voice for people with disabilities and other marginalized communities and a constant fighter for environmental protections;

Eleanor Holmes Norton, a trailblazer and a giant in the Hall of Congress who was also the first woman to chair the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission;

Sanford Bishop, the Dean of the Georgia Delegation and a member of the Agriculture and Appropriations Committees, who has done incredible work on human rights, preventing the spread of HIV-AIDS, and protecting religious freedom;

Colin Allred, a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who has distinguished himself as a crucial voice for democratic values at home and abroad;

Andre Carson, a Member of the Intelligence Committee and the Dean of the Muslim Caucus, a critical supporter of democracy, human rights, and international diplomacy and a powerful champion for fair trade;

David Cicilline, a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, and a passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights in our foreign policy, who will be deeply missed when he leaves Congress at the end of this month;

Brad Sherman, a Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and a frequent partner on refugee protections, justice, and accountability in Ethiopia;

Dwight Evans, a member of the Ways and Means Committee, founding member of the Congressional Ghana Caucus, and a passionate supporter of trade between the US and Africa, entrepreneurship, and small business development;

Jamaal Bowman, who was Vice Chair of the Committee on Education and Labor in his first term, and is a constant ally on promoting a just and peaceful foreign policy;

Gwen Moore, a member of the Ways and Means Committee who has dedicated her career to fighting poverty and advocating for nutrition and health;

And Sheila Jackson Lee, the co-chair of the Congressional Nigeria Caucus and a Member of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.

Thank you all for your commitment to the people of Africa, and to our shared future.

Issues: U.S. Africa Policy Working Group Foreign Policy

Original source can be found here.