Suzanne Scholte for Congress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Scholte: Obama is “Cleaning Up His Own Mess”

Congress’ War Authorization Must Reverse Sequestration

Suzanne Scholte, a globally recognized human rights advocate and candidate for Congress in Northern Virginia’s 11^th district, released this statement in response to President Obama’s speech laying out his plan to attack the Islamic State:

President Obama’s precipitous and reckless withdrawal from Iraq allowed for the rise of the Islamic State. The President’s singular focus to cut the military and disengage from world leadership lead to last night’s speech—where President Obama has now been forced to clean up his own mess.

Our military will strike the Islamic State, but it will also be in a weaker position to do so because of the President’s sequestration bill supported by Gerry Connolly. The hacksaw sequester cuts have left our military weaker than it has been in decades, weaker for the fight the President has now called them to take on.

The threat the Islamic State is a perfect example of why we must reverse sequestration, and when Congress votes to authorize funding for this mission, I call on both parties to reverse the disastrous sequestration cuts.

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As prepared for delivery:

In  1847, a man named Hendrick Pieter Scholte, came to America leading a group of 40 families seeking religious freedom.  He had been part of a spiritual awakening in the Netherlands that had put him at odds with the established church.  He was jailed for preaching the Gospel and his followers were harassed and forbidden to gather.  He and his fellow Dutch pioneers decided to come to America to be a free people.   In 2008, a woman named Song Hwa Han came to America with her two daughters after escaping from North Korea, a country that controlled every single aspect of their lives.  Because the government even restricted travel, when famine came, Song Hwa’s family slowly started to starve to death.  After seeing her mother, husband, and sons die, Song Hwa vowed to save her remaining two daughters and together they escaped to America to be a free people.