Nov 19, 2018 - Politics & Policy

Democrats seek to overturn ban on religious headwear on House floor

Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar

Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar at congressional orientation. Photo: Melina Mara/The Washington Post via Getty Images

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi proposed altering a 181-year ban on members of Congress wearing headwear on the floor of the House of Representatives last week to "ensure religious expression" by exempting religious headwear, reports ABC News.

The big picture: Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), one of the first two Muslim women elected to Congress, is helping spearhead the effort with Pelosi to protect her choice to wear a headscarf — which she calls her First Amendment right.

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