WASHINGTON — Democrats and some Republicans on Monday criticized a veteran GOP representative for saying America can’t restore ‘‘our civilization with somebody else’s babies’’ and warning of a liberal effort to destroy Western civilization through immigration.

On Twitter Sunday, Representative Steve King of Iowa paid tribute to a Dutch politician who opposes immigration and has spoken against Islam. It came as the Dutch prepared for an election for prime minister.

King, who has served in the House since 2003, said Geert Wilders ‘‘understands that culture and demographics are our destiny. We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.’’

In an interview Monday on CNN, King said he stood by his remarks. King said, ‘‘I meant exactly what I said,’’ and noted that he delivers the same message to countries in Europe.

‘‘We need to get our birth rates up or Europe will be entirely transformed within a half a century or a little more,’’ King said.

Wilders, leader of the anti-Islam Freedom Party, favors a ban on Muslim immigration to the Netherlands and a ban on the Koran.

King said his comments aren’t a focus on race, but critics disagreed.

A spokesman for House minority leader Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, called on GOP leadership to condemn King’s statements.

‘‘Republican congressman Steve King’s vile racism has no place in decent society, much less in the US Congress,’’ said spokesman Drew Hammill. ‘‘But once again, disgusting hatred has been met with deafening silence from Speaker [Paul] Ryan.’’

AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for Ryan, subsequently responded that Ryan took issue with King’s comments.

‘‘The speaker clearly disagrees and believes America’s long history of inclusiveness is one of its great strengths,’’ Strong said.

When asked whether he is promoting a kind of white nationalism, King said the debate isn’t about advancing a particular race but rather advancing American culture and Western civilization.

‘‘This is an effort on the left, I think, to break down the American civilization, the American culture, and turn it into something entirely different. I’m a champion for Western civilization,’’ he said.

In defending his remarks, King told CNN there’s been too much focus on race and he wants to see Americans ‘‘bonded together.’’

‘‘If you go down the road a few generations, or maybe centuries with the intermarriage, I’d like to see an America that [is] so homogenous that we look a lot the same from that perspective. I think there’s far too much focus on race, especially in the last eight years. I want to see that put behind us,’’ King said.

Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Iowa Republican Party, was one of the first GOP leaders to take issue with King’s comments. He was joined Monday by Republican Representative David Young of Iowa.

‘‘First of all, I do not agree with congressman King’s statement,’’ Kaufmann said in a press release. ‘‘We are a nation of immigrants, and diversity is the strength of any nation and any community.’’

Most members of the House were still back in their home districts Monday, which limited the initial reaction among King’s colleagues.