A conservative watchdog organization is calling on House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to withhold the congressional salary of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and use it to pay off what it claims is an outstanding federal student loan dating back two decades.
The American Accountability Foundation (AAF), a right-leaning nonprofit known for investigating public officials, sent a formal letter to Speaker Johnson alleging that Omar has failed to repay a 2005 Department of Education loan and has attempted to use her position to avoid repayment.
“We have serious concerns about Congresswoman Ilhan Omar’s failure to manage her debt,” AAF President Tom Jones wrote in the letter.
He urged Johnson to “exercise his authority to deduct the necessary amount from her congressional salary to satisfy the loan,” adding that “taxpayers should not be left footing the bill.”
According to Omar’s latest financial disclosure, she owes between $15,000 and $50,000 in federal debt, originally taken out in October 2005 to cover education expenses. The foundation claims she has “repeatedly failed” to make progress on repayment despite earning $174,000 per year as a member of Congress.
“It is outrageous that someone in such a privileged position continues to neglect her obligations to the same taxpayers she claims to represent,” Jones said.
The AAF also alleged that Omar used her political influence to pressure the Department of Education to overlook her delinquency, though it provided no direct evidence.
Jones said his organization has filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking all correspondence between Omar and Education Department officials to determine whether any “undue influence or abuse of power” occurred.
Omar’s office has not publicly responded to the allegations.
The claim quickly ignited partisan debate on Capitol Hill, with Republican lawmakers amplifying the watchdog’s demand and Democrats dismissing it as a politically motivated stunt aimed at discrediting one of the House’s most outspoken progressive members.
Rep. Omar, a member of the Squad and a frequent critic of GOP leadership, has faced repeated attacks from conservative groups since entering Congress in 2019.
Whether Speaker Johnson will take any action remains uncertain — the House has limited authority to garnish pay without a court order. Still, the AAF’s complaint underscores how personal finances are increasingly becoming a new front in the nation’s polarized political battles.
