Anti-Muslim 'dogs' post prompts calls for Republican congressman to resign

Rep. Randy Fine, a first-term Republican congressman from Florida, is facing calls to resign over accusations of Islamophobia after suggesting he prefers dogs to Muslim people.

"If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one," Fine said in a post to social media on Sunday, Feb. 15.

He was responding to a post by a pro-Palestinian activist who said that dogs shouldn't be indoor pets, who later clarified she was making a joke about dog owners not cleaning up after their pets on New York City's snow-lined streets.

"Like we've said all along, they are unclean," she said.

Some interpretations of Islam place restrictions on keeping dogs as pets.

Fine's comments were met with condemnation from leading Democrats, including minority leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Jeffries said in a statement that Fine is a "disgrace" to Congress and called him an "Islamophobic, disgusting and unrepentant bigot."

The Democratic leader also slammed House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Republicans for not speaking up about the comments. Even conservative commentator Megyn Kelly, who routinely irks progressives and liberals, said Fine's comments "went full bigot."

"Their casual acceptance of hateful and divisive language enables this out-of-control behavior. Republican leaders must hold this so-called Member of Congress accountable," Jeffries said.

Congressional Democrats are also increasingly calling for Fine to be censured and stripped of his committee assignments.

"This is genuinely one of the most disgusting statements I have ever seen issued by an American official," Ocasio-Cortez said on Feb. 17 of Fine's post.

As he'd done with several other negative responses to his comments on X, Fine retweeted Jeffries' statement with an image of a dog imposed on a bright yellow "Don't Tread on Me" flag. Since his post over the weekend, Fine has doubled down, reposting clips of himself defending his comments on a conservative talk show program and responding to dozens of posts − including some denouncing him − with the altered flag illustration.

It's not the first time the Florida congressman, who is Jewish and has referred to himself as the "Hebrew Hammer," has shared anti-Muslim and Islamophobic comments. In July 2025, he sparked backlash when he insinuated that Rep. Ilhan Omar, who is Muslim, was a "terrorist." He has also used the word to insult other Muslim leaders like Rep. Rashida Tlaib and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

In December 2025, Fine called for mass deportations of Muslim people from the country, along with a "Muslim travel ban" and "citizenship revocations." He wrote in a post at the time that "Mainstream Muslims have declared war on us."

Before joining Congress, Fine built a reputation as a controversial figure in Florida state politics. He’s previously called for the expulsion of "any non-Americans who are or have advocated for Muslim terror," according to The Floridian. He also accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of failing to address antisemitism in 2023.

He served in the Florida state legislature beginning in 2016, and was elected to serve in the state Senate in 2024. Fine won a special election in 2025 to fill an empty U.S. House seat representing a northern Florida district, which covers Daytona Beach as well as the Ocala National Forest. 

Kathryn Palmer is a politics reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her at[email protected] and on X @KathrynPlmr. Sign up for her daily politics newsletterhere.