Rep. Randy Fine, the Florida Republican who has made no secret of his contempt for Rep. Ilhan Omar's record, said Monday he is actively pushing to remove the Minnesota Democrat from Congress, and intends to do it on the House floor, not through fundraising blasts or cable-news theatrics.
Fine laid out his case during an interview with right-wing commentator Benny Johnson, calling Omar a "problem on so many levels" and citing what he described as her "Somali loyalty," alleged "immigration fraud," and connections to a welfare fraud scandal that has rocked her home state. Mediaite reported that Fine said he is "waiting" for additional details before formally taking the "step to expel her from Congress."
The push comes as scrutiny of Omar intensifies across multiple fronts, from the White House to the House Oversight Committee, and as President Donald Trump himself has repeatedly singled her out in recent weeks.
Fine framed the expulsion effort around three broad categories. The first two, Omar's immigration history and what Fine called her "Somali loyalty", have been recurring themes among her Republican critics for years. The third, which Fine said he wants to press hardest, involves an alleged welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota.
Fine pointed to a statistic he said bolsters the case:
"80% of Somalis that have come to the United States continue to be on our welfare programs. And it appears Ilhan Omar is tied up to her neck in all of that."
No official investigation, charge, or supporting document was cited in Fine's remarks. He acknowledged he is still gathering information, telling Johnson he is waiting for more details before making a formal move.
That said, Fine has made clear this will not be a symbolic gesture. Breitbart reported that Fine confirmed he is preparing an actual House resolution and drew a sharp line between his approach and the usual Capitol Hill posturing.
"If I'm going to try to expel her, it won't be in a fundraising email. She'll deal with it on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives."
Fine also told interviewers he stands squarely with the president on the matter: "I agree with the president 100%."
Anyone familiar with congressional procedure knows what Fine is up against. The Constitution requires a two-thirds vote of the House to expel a sitting member, a threshold that has been met only a handful of times in American history, and never without bipartisan consensus or overwhelming evidence of wrongdoing.
Newsmax reported that Fine told Axios he is weighing the formal floor vote, while acknowledging the steep math. Significant Democratic support would be needed, and there is no sign any is forthcoming. Omar herself dismissed the effort, saying "nobody takes that man serious."
Her dismissal aside, the broader political environment around Omar has shifted. The Trump administration, through White House border czar Tom Homan, has publicly stated it is examining Omar's immigration history. And Vice President Vance has said the administration is exploring legal remedies related to accusations of immigration fraud against her.
Earlier Republican efforts to sanction Omar, including a failed censure resolution, fell short. But the political landscape has changed since those earlier attempts. Republicans hold the House majority, and the White House is now actively signaling interest in Omar's conduct and background.
Omar moved to the United States from Somalia in 1995 at the age of 12. She was elected to represent Minnesota in 2018 and quickly became one of the most polarizing figures on Capitol Hill.
Her public statements have drawn sustained fire from the right. Last year, she asserted that the U.S. was turning into "one of the worst countries" in the world. She has also been quoted describing America as having committed "unthinkable atrocities," placing the country in the same sentence as Hamas and the Taliban, a comparison that enraged conservatives and many moderates alike.
President Trump has not been shy about targeting Omar. Earlier this month, he mocked her for allegedly marrying her brother, a long-running allegation that Omar has denied, and bashed her for what he characterized as ingratitude toward the country that took her in as a refugee.
"She comes here from Somalia and she tells us how to run the United States of America. She says, 'The Constitution gives me certain rights. And I demand that I be given these rights.' Get the h*** out, what a phony."
Trump's remarks, whatever their tone, reflect a sentiment shared by millions of Americans who find it difficult to accept a member of Congress who appears to hold the country in low regard while simultaneously demanding its protections and privileges.
The controversies extend beyond rhetoric. House Oversight has launched a probe into Omar's husband after reports of a dramatic wealth surge, from $51,000 to $30 million, raising questions about the financial dealings in her inner circle.
Fine's push fits within a broader Republican effort to hold House members accountable for conduct that, in the GOP's view, crosses lines that previous Congresses tolerated for too long. Speaker Johnson recently backed the expulsion of another House member after an ethics panel found 25 violations, a reminder that removal proceedings, while rare, are not unheard of in the current Congress.
Whether Fine can marshal the votes for a two-thirds majority remains an open question. No formal resolution has been filed as of the interview, and Fine himself said he is still gathering evidence on the welfare fraud angle. The procedural hurdles are real. So is the political risk of forcing a vote that fails.
But Fine appears willing to take that risk. His stated goal is to put every House member on record, to force a vote that makes colleagues choose between defending Omar and siding with the growing body of allegations against her.
Omar, for her part, has faced challenges from unexpected directions. A fired ICE lawyer recently launched a Democratic primary challenge against her, suggesting that discomfort with Omar's record is not confined to the Republican side of the aisle.
The open questions are significant. What specific evidence, if any, will Fine present in a formal resolution? Will the Trump administration's examination of Omar's immigration history produce actionable findings? And will any Democrats break ranks if a floor vote materializes?
Fine has not provided a timeline for introducing his resolution. The welfare fraud details he referenced remain unspecified. And the two-thirds threshold means that even a unified Republican conference would fall well short without Democratic defections.
Still, the political pressure on Omar is mounting from multiple directions simultaneously, the White House, House leadership, oversight committees, and now a formal expulsion effort from a colleague who says he intends to force the issue where it counts: on the House floor.
Expelling a sitting member of Congress is one of the most serious actions the House can take. If the facts warrant it, the voters deserve to see their representatives go on record. And if they don't, Fine will have shown his hand for nothing. Either way, accountability beats silence.