The House passed a resolution condemning hate language on Thursday after alleged anti-semitic comments from Rep. Ilhan Omar consumed lawmakers' attention this week, caused an internecine war among Democrats, and brought the wrath of Republicans.
The final vote was 407 to 23 with one lawmaker voting present. All the no votes were Republicans.
As the gavel slammed down to close the vote, it carried with it the hopes of Democratic leaders that the issue can be put to rest and the party can move forward to their signature legislation - a sweeping anti-corruption in bill, which will be voting on Friday.
The House passed a resolution condemning hate language 407 to 23
Democrats in the House of Representatives will vote Thursday on a resolution condemning anti-Semitism and other hateful speech following anti-Israel comments by Ilhan Omar, who is seen Thursday at a House Foreign Affairs Committee
Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert took to the House floor before the vote on the anti-hate resolution to announce his opposition to it, arguing the original measure 'should never be watered down.
'There's never been a persecution of people like the Jewish people,' he said.
Republican Rep. Steve King, who has been accused of supporting white supremacists, was the present vote.
Some Democrats agreed with him but supported the legislation.
Democratic Rep. Eliot Engle of New York, who is Jewish, said he would vote for the resolution but was disappointed there wasn't a separate resolution just condemning Omar's comments.
Democratic leaders had hoped to dispatch with the issue quickly through a hastily written resolution condemning anti-semitism.
But they broadened the text to include condemn Islamophobia and white supremacism after Omar's defenders said one form of hate should not be singled out.
Minutes before the scheduled vote Thursday Democrats pulled it again, to add several groups not included in the original measure, including Latinos, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, and LGBTQ community.
Lawmakers held a contentious debate on the House floor for nearly an hour before the vote occurred with Republicans questioning why such a resolution was necessary.
'We shouldn't have had to go through the number of versions we have had to,' GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy said, adding: 'I will pledge to you this: from this side of the aisle – and I hope you understand this clearly, any hatred, we take action.'
And Republican Rep. Doug Collins pointed out lawmakers were 'debating a resolution we should have learned in kindergarten. Be nice.'
He also criticized the measure as so 'thrown together at the last minute' that 'we left out disabled people.'
The chaos surrounding the vote reflects the disarray among the Democrats after Omar made comments that were alleged to be anti-Semitism.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi cleared Rep. Ilhan Omar of intentional anti-Semitism, saying the freshman lawmaker didn't appreciate how her comments were interpreted by others
Speaker Nancy Pelosi cleared Omar of intentional anti-Semitism in her controversial remarks that sparked outrage among Democrats and said the resolution the House will vote on Thursday condemning hate speech is not about the freshman lawmaker.
'It's not about her, it's about these forms of hatred,' Pelosi told reporters at the Capitol on Thursday.
'I don't think the congresswoman perhaps doesn't appreciate how it was heard by other people although I don't believe it was intended as anti-Semitic although that's how it was interpreted,' the speaker said.
'We're not policing the speech of our members,' Pelosi said, but argued the measure about condemning hate speech.
Nor was Omar's name be specifically mentioned in the 1,400 word text, which some Democrats had argued for while the congresswoman's defenders countered that would require a resolution any time a lawmaker said or tweeted something offensive.
'One resolution is not mentioning her name because it's not about her,' Pelosi noted.
Democrats had battled over the wording of the resolution - should it directly refer to Omar and anti-semitism or should it be broadened to condemn all hate speech.
A battle broke out between the older, powerful Jewish members of Congress who accused Omar of anti-Semitism and the younger, progressive members who have stormed the House floor after the 2018 election and defended Omar's right to speak.
Leadership is pushing the vote in the hopes the party can move past the controversy that has engulfed Democrats and brought about the wrath of Republicans.
Omar, who is one of the first Muslim women in Congress, came under fire for suggesting last Friday that supporters of Israel were urging lawmakers to have 'allegiance to a foreign country.'
