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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The Family Research Council Action PAC has endorsed Suzanne's candidacy. Check out the endorsement below:

Suzanne visited the Holy Spirit Catholic Church picnic in Annandale yesterday. Not only was it a great opportunity to hear from voters in the 11th District, but Suzanne brought people together! Check out these photos:

The Korea Times featured an article written by our Korean Americans for Suzanne Scholte co-chair Ok Cha Soh, Ph.D., regarding our upcoming "Celebrating America" event:

Check out this ad for Suzanne running on WKTV, Northern Virginia's Korean language television station:

Suzanne Scholte made the following remarks regarding Labor Day:

"This Labor Day, we celebrate America's workforce, which continues to be among the world leaders in productivity and innovation. Regardless the difficulties we face under this tepid economy, America's workers are the one bright spot that we can count on.

"This Labor Day, our challenge is that many Americans have no labor because they cannot find work. Gerry Connolly's vote for the sequester has slowed Northern Virginia's economy to a halt--workers' incomes are not growing and many contractors cannot find decent jobs. 

"On this day when we honor those who work, we must rededicate our efforts to create jobs and improve the economy for working families and for those seeking work. We need a new, proven leader in Congress to fight for Northern Virginia's workers to ensure a sequester never happens again. 

"It's my hope that we will soon have a Congress that respects and embraces the creativity and dedication of the Northern Virginia's workforce, unleashing our region's potential and creating more opportunities for all."

Scholte: “Unlike Cuba, we live in a system with checks and balances”

17 members of Congress from both sides of the aisle have penned a letter to President Obama asking him to reaffirm his commitment to maintaining the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

The timing cannot be a coincidence.

In January, the President already began to roll back the policy, allowing for “(1) purposeful travel; (2) non-family remittances; and (3) U.S. airports supporting licensed charter flights to and from Cuba.”

These members of Congress believe the President might be about to take another step toward legitimizing the Castro regime.

Suzanne Scholte, human rights advocate and Republican candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 11^th district, released the following statement:

I congratulate Gerry Connolly on signing this letter and taking a bipartisan step that I would have also taken as a member of Congress. There are issues greater than our campaign. This is one of them.

The difference between Gerry Connolly and me is that I would have been standing against abusive executive action for the last five years, not just for this issue. The President has already signed dozens of executive orders that many constitutional law professors—even those who usually agree with him—have deemed illegal.

If he uses an executive order to normalize relations with Cuba, he will be legitimizing one of the most corrupt regimes in history. Their egregious human rights record cannot be ignored, and a change in policy would only validate their awful actions.

Because the President’s Party and Gerry Connolly have been unwilling to stand up against the President’s expansive executive orders, they have enabled the President to act alone on Cuba.

Unlike Cuba, we live in a system with checks and balances on our elected leaders, and our President needs to not only affirm his support for Cuban freedom, he needs to reaffirm his support for the Constitution. 

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Suzanne Scholte, the President of North Korea Freedom Coalition, speaks at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. for KCC (Korean Church Coalition for North Korea Freedom):

Suzanne Scholte, the President of North Korea Freedom Coalition, speaks at KCC (Korean Church Coalition for North Korea Freedom) 2014 Rally on West Lawn of US Capitol:

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.