Career Timeline of Ilhan Omar: Major Achievements and Milestones

From career breakthroughs to professional milestones, explore how Ilhan Omar made an impact.

Ilhan Omar is an American politician currently serving as the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district since 2019. As a member of the Democratic Party, she previously served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. Her district encompasses Minneapolis and some of its surrounding suburbs. Omar is recognized for her progressive political views and her status as one of the first Somali-American Muslim women elected to Congress.

Sections (5)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

2006: Community Nutrition Educator at University of Minnesota

In 2006, Ilhan Omar began her professional career as a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota.

2009: End of Role as Community Nutrition Educator

In 2009, Ilhan Omar concluded her role as a community nutrition educator at the University of Minnesota.

2012: Campaign Manager for Kari Dziedzic

In 2012, Ilhan Omar served as campaign manager for Kari Dziedzic's reelection campaign for the Minnesota State Senate.

2013: Managed Andrew Johnson's Campaign

In 2013, Ilhan Omar managed Andrew Johnson's campaign for Minneapolis City Council, later serving as his senior policy aide.

2013: Child Nutrition Outreach Coordinator

In 2013, Ilhan Omar was a child nutrition outreach coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education.

September 2015: Director of Policy Initiatives

As of September 2015, Ilhan Omar was the Director of Policy Initiatives of the Women Organizing Women Network.

2015: Served as Senior Policy Aide

In 2015, Ilhan Omar concluded her role as a senior policy aide to Andrew Johnson.

2016: Ran for Minnesota House of Representatives

In 2016, Ilhan Omar ran on the Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) ticket for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 60B.

January 3, 2017: Term Began as State Representative

On January 3, 2017, Ilhan Omar's term began as the first Somali-American legislator in the United States.

2017: Assistant Minority Leader

During her tenure as state representative for District 60B, starting in 2017, Ilhan Omar was an assistant minority leader for the DFL caucus.

2017: Elected to Minnesota House of Representatives

In 2017, Ilhan Omar served in the Minnesota House of Representatives, representing part of Minneapolis.

June 5, 2018: Filed to Run for U.S. House

On June 5, 2018, Ilhan Omar filed to run for the United States House of Representatives from Minnesota's 5th congressional district.

October 2018: Omar criticizes Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses

In October 2018, Ilhan Omar criticized Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses and the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war, calling for a boycott of the Saudi regime using the hashtag '#BDSSaudi.' The Saudi Arabian government responded with critical tweets from anonymous troll accounts.

2018: Authored 38 Bills

During the 2017–2018 legislative session, Ilhan Omar authored 38 bills.

2018: Criticism of Omar's statements about Israel

In 2018, Ilhan Omar faced criticism for statements she made about Israel before she was in the Minnesota legislature, particularly her 2012 tweet, which was seen as drawing on antisemitic tropes. She later apologized for not "disavowing the anti-Semitic trope I unknowingly used".

2018: Documentary film "Time for Ilhan" chronicles Omar's political campaign

In 2018, the documentary film *Time for Ilhan*, directed by Norah Shapiro, chronicled Ilhan Omar's political campaign. The film was selected to be shown at both the Tribeca Film Festival and the Mill Valley Film Festival.

2018: Omar reports a negative net worth

In 2018, when Ilhan Omar was initially elected, she reported a negative net worth.

February 2019: Omar's "It's All About the Benjamins" tweet

In February 2019, after Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy threatened to "take action" against Omar and Rashida Tlaib for their support of the BDS movement, Ilhan Omar responded with a quote from a hip hop song, "It's All About the Benjamins", alluding to a slang term for U.S. $100 bills. This sparked controversy as it was seen as an antisemitic trope.

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February 27, 2019: Omar's comments on allegiance to a foreign country

On February 27, 2019, Ilhan Omar said of her critics: "I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country." The statements were quickly criticized as allegedly drawing on antisemitic tropes, and Omar reaffirmed her position.

March 7, 2019: House condemns bigotry in response to Omar's remarks

On March 7, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 407–23 to condemn "anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, racism and other forms of bigotry" in response to Omar's remarks concerning Israel.

March 2019: Omar criticizes Obama's border policies

In a March 2019 Politico interview, Ilhan Omar criticized Barack Obama's "caging of kids" along the Mexican border. She later accused Politico of distorting her comments.

June 2019: Omar introduces the No Shame at School Act

In June 2019, Ilhan Omar and Senator Tina Smith introduced the No Shame at School Act, aiming to end the marking of and punishment for students with school meal debt.

June 2019: Omar votes against border funding bill

In June 2019, Ilhan Omar was one of four Democratic representatives to vote against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act, a $4.5 billion border funding bill, citing concerns about human rights abuses.

July 2019: Introduced Boycott Resolution

In July 2019, Ilhan Omar introduced a resolution supporting the right to participate in boycotts for civil and human rights.

July 2019: Trump's Tweet and The Squad's Press Conference

In July 2019, following a tweet by Donald Trump that The Squad, including Ilhan Omar, should "go back" to the "places from which they came", Omar and the other members of the Squad held a press conference which was taped by CNN and posted to social media.

September 2019: Omar condemns Netanyahu's annexation plans

In September 2019, Ilhan Omar condemned Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to annex the eastern portion of the occupied West Bank known as the Jordan Valley and suggested Israelis should not vote for Netanyahu in the upcoming Israeli legislative election.

October 2019: Omar opposes Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria

In October 2019, Ilhan Omar opposed the Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, citing the displacement of civilians, the escape of ISIS fighters, and atrocities committed by Turkish-backed rebels against the Kurds.

October 2019: Omar votes "present" on Armenian genocide resolution

In October 2019, Ilhan Omar voted "present" on H.Res. 296, a resolution to recognize the Armenian genocide, causing a backlash. She stated that accountability and recognition of genocide should not be used as a political tool.

2019: Became U.S. Representative

In 2019, Ilhan Omar became the U.S. representative for Minnesota's 5th congressional district, serving as a member of the Democratic Party.

June 2020: Raised Campaign Funds

In April–June 2020, Antone Melton-Meaux raised $3.2 million compared to about $500,000 by Ilhan Omar for the Democratic primary.

October 19, 2020: Omar Streams Among Us on Twitch to Encourage Voting

On October 19, 2020, Ilhan Omar joined Ocasio-Cortez and several popular streamers, including Disguised Toast, Jacksepticeye, and Pokimane, in a Twitch stream playing the game *Among Us* to encourage streamers to vote in the 2020 election. The collaboration received almost half a million views.

November 17, 2020: Campaign Terminates Contract with E Street Group

On November 17, 2020, Ilhan Omar's campaign terminated its contract with the E Street Group to "make sure that anybody who is supporting our campaign with their time or financial support feels there is no perceived issue with that support."

2020: Publication of Memoir "This Is What America Looks Like"

In 2020, HarperCollins published Ilhan Omar's memoir, *This Is What America Looks Like*, which she wrote with Rebecca Paley.

2020: Alleged Interference in Presidential Election

In 2020, Ilhan Omar introduced articles of impeachment against Trump on charges related to Trump's alleged interference in the 2020 presidential election.

2020: Reaction among 2020 Democratic presidential candidates to Omar's remarks

In 2020, reactions among Democratic presidential candidates to Omar's controversial remarks were mixed, with some defending her and others finding her comments disturbing. The controversy also sparked debate about the influence of pro-Israel lobby campaign contributions and whether Omar was unfairly targeted due to her identity.

January 7, 2021: Introduced Articles of Impeachment Against Trump

On January 7, 2021, Ilhan Omar led a group of House members in introducing articles of impeachment against Trump related to the 2020 presidential election and the attack on the U.S. Capitol.

November 5, 2021: Omar votes against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

On November 5, 2021, Ilhan Omar was one of six House Democrats to break with their party and vote against the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act because it was decoupled from the social safety net provisions in the Build Back Better Act.

July 19, 2022: Omar arrested during reproductive rights protest

On July 19, 2022, Ilhan Omar and 17 other members of Congress were arrested for civil disobedience for protesting for reproductive rights outside the Supreme Court Building after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

2022: Defeated Don Samuels in Primary

In 2022, Ilhan Omar defeated Don Samuels in the primary.

2022: Legislation Becomes Law

In 2022, Ilhan Omar's first sponsored piece of legislation, a bill to designate the central Minneapolis post office the Martin Olav Sabo Post Office, became law.

February 2, 2023: House removes Omar from Foreign Affairs Committee

On February 2, 2023, the Republican-led House of Representatives passed a resolution to remove Ilhan Omar from the House Foreign Affairs Committee for what Speaker Kevin McCarthy called "repeated antisemitic and anti-American remarks."

February 2023: Removal from Foreign Affairs Committee

In February 2023, the Republican-controlled House voted to remove Ilhan Omar from her seat on the Foreign Affairs Committee due to past comments about Israel and concerns over her objectivity.

July 18, 2023: Omar votes against resolution stating Israel is not racist

On July 18, 2023, Ilhan Omar voted against a congressional non-binding resolution proposed by August Pfluger, which states that "the State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state".

October 16, 2023: Omar calls for ceasefire in Gaza war

On October 16, 2023, Ilhan Omar signed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and criticized the United States' support for Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.

May 2024: Omar supports ICC investigation in Palestine

In May 2024, Ilhan Omar voiced support for the International Criminal Court investigation in Palestine, emphasizing the need for independence and non-interference in the ICC's work.

August 2024: Omar criticizes arms shipments to Israel

In August 2024, Ilhan Omar criticized the Biden administration's arms shipments to Israel, suggesting that stopping the weapons would be a way to achieve a ceasefire.

September 2025: Omar Introduces war powers resolution to prevent strikes in the Caribbean

In September 2025, Ilhan Omar introduced a war powers resolution to prevent the Trump administration from conducting future strikes in the Caribbean following a US attack on a Venezuelan boat.

September 17, 2025: Failed Effort to Strip Committee Assignments

On September 17, 2025, an effort led by Representative Nancy Mace to strip Ilhan Omar of her committee assignments failed after four Republicans joined all Democrats to vote against the measure.