U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) made headlines earlier this month by teaming up with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) on a measure designed to prevent members of Congress and their immediate family members from investing in individual stocks.
Now, he is signaling a willingness to work with other leftist members of the so-called “Squad” to advance another issue on which far-left Democrats and populist Republicans can agree.
A handful of Democrats signed on to his recent resolution that would pull U.S. troops out of Somalia, though the measure ultimately failed to advance through the House of Representatives.
In order to more effectively promote his belief that America should rein in its global military entanglements, Gaetz recommended more collaboration among like-minded lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
“While we disagree strongly on a variety of issues, I think there should be greater connectivity between the anti-war right and the anti-war left,” he said
Gaetz went on to acknowledge Democrats who supported his recent resolution — including Squad members Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN).
His collaboration with Omar is particularly noteworthy considering the fact that he voted alongside other Republicans earlier this year to remove her from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over remarks that critics deemed antisemitic.
As of tonight, I am undecided as to whether or not I would vote to remove Rep. @Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee. pic.twitter.com/nNePwNBJqq
— Rep. Matt Gaetz (@RepMattGaetz) January 31, 2023
So far, it is unclear how far Gaetz hopes to take his plan, which could result in the formation of a bipartisan caucus on Capitol Hill. For now, he is calling on other Democrats to join leftists like Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) in pushing for an end to U.S. involvement in “forever wars” around the world.
“I wish more of the Democratic caucus shared the views of people like Ro Khanna on foreign policy,” he said.
Of course, 165 lawmakers in his own party voted against his resolution, so Gaetz will also need to convince fellow Republicans to adopt his view before any real change can occur in the GOP-led chamber.
He expressed sharp criticism of “neo-conservatives and pro-war liberal” alike for their reliance on post-9/11 policies “to justify a continued troop presence” in countries around the world, concluding that he feels like he is “waging a forever war against forever wars.”
