After backing a measure censuring President Barack Obama for his executive actions on gun control last week, U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., brought out another censure against the president on Wednesday, this time hitting the White House on national security.
Yoho, who sits on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, explained his censure measure on Wednesday. The North Florida Republican pointed to Obama’s handling of Middle Eastern affairs, including the rise of Islamic State (ISIS) terrorism and the White House’s deal with the Iranian regime over its nuclear program.
“President Obama’s reckless endangerment of our national security cannot continue to go unchecked,” Yoho said. “The number one job of the president of the United States when he takes the oath of office is to protect and defend our great country from all enemies foreign and domestic. The president has failed miserably on that account. From his irresponsible deal with Iran to his breathtakingly large underestimation of ISIS, the president’s misguided decisions have time and again affected the safety of each and every American.
“This is not a personal attack on the president, but a rebuke of his foreign policy strategy and his decisions that put our citizens in danger,” Yoho insisted. “For example, his insistence of releasing Guantanamo detainees when there are reports that up to 30 percent of the released have returned to the battlefield to fight the United States. This equates to almost 200 enemy combatants returning to the battle field to wage war on our armed forces. Additionally, his administration’s egregious lack of vetting in our visa process, has allowed individuals into the country who wish to do us harm. The list is endless.
“The formal censure of a president is not an act that is taken lightly,” Yoho said in conclusion. “It is a mark that is forever on the record and legacy of his tenure. President Obama’s repeated decisions, that put our nation in harm’s way, are so egregious that the House of Representatives must stand and be heard. Not only must the rest of the world know, but history itself must know that we, as the people’s representatives, condemn the president’s failure to keep our nation safe."
Yoho’s measure was referred to the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The censure resolution has two original co-sponsors: U.S. Reps. Scott Rigell, R-Va., and Randy Weber, R-Texas.
Last week, Yoho was an original co-sponsor of U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo’s, R-Miss., proposal to censure Obama over his executive action on gun control.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
