Allen West released this statement regarding deadline for President Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. forces from Libya

Congressman West Statement on the War Powers Resolution Deadline for Withdrawal of U.S. Armed Forces in Libya

(WASHINGTON)---- Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement today regarding the Sunday (06/19/11) deadline for President Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. forces from Libya:

"The War Powers Act is the law and the provisions are clear. At midnight on Sunday, it will be 90 days since President Obama informed the United States Congress of the introduction of American forces into Libya. Since the introduction of American forces, Congress has not declared war or enacted a specific authorization for the use of force. Without either of these actions, the 90 days have elapsed and troops need to be withdrawn.

Yesterday, the Obama Administration claimed our Armed Forces are not in 'harm's way.' Further, the conflict in Libya does not require the approval of the United States Congress because there is 'little risk' to our Armed Forces. The President should realize that every time our American men and women are committed to military action, they are in harm's way. It is an affront to the family members of the pilots flying in this conflict and supporting this mission to say that they have not been placed in harm's way.

Since the opening hours of military action on March 19th, President Barack Obama has had no clear direction in Libya. The President has not defined the mission nor the end state of this conflict. Further, the President has not identified who the so-called rebels are that continue to receive millions of dollars of American support in terms of weapons, ammunition, and resources.

As a 22-year Army combat veteran, I can tell you from experience that successful mission completion is obtained by properly defining the mission- something President Obama has failed to do. We cannot continue this 'mission creep' kind of warfare.

President Barack Obama is in violation of the law – plain and simple – and he must be held accountable. We do not need to give the President any more time. Many Americans, myself included, still do not understand how America is benefitting from having forces in Libya in the first place. The very foundation of our Republic lies on the system of checks and balances, and as a Member of the United States Congress, I have a Constitutional obligation to ensure this system is upheld.

I hope that on the eve of the 90-day deadline, the President will either seek Congressional approval or halt all military actions in Libya. If the President does not take these steps, the United States Congress should hold hearings on the President's violation of the War Powers Act. The Leadership should also move forward to eliminate funding for these military operations. Finally, the Leadership must hold the President accountable to the law in order to ensure the checks and balances that have been in place since the enactment of the War Powers Resolution are upheld. "

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Allen West Washington DC Office 1708 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 ph: 202-225-3026 • fx: 202-225-8398

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: AllenWestFL

Allen West at Faith & Freedom Coalition VIDEO

Allen West spoke at the second annual Faith & Freedom Coalition Conference on June 3, 2011.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: RepublicHeritage

Allen West released this statement yesterday after an address from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to a Joint Session of Congress

Congressman West Statement on Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu Speech to Congress

(WASHINGTON) ---- Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement yesterday after an address from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to a Joint Session of Congress:

"Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu today provided a clear vision of his nation's role in the Middle East. The Prime Minister is clearly committed to peace for his people and for the entire Middle East.

As I sat on the House Floor, the Prime Minister portrayed leadership, integrity and strength when he spoke of his beloved country, its remarkable past and its optimistic future. I want to make myself clear when I say that America must stand, and will always stand, by Israel.

I support the Prime Minister when he says: 'Jerusalem must remain the Capital of Israel' and 'Israel will not return to the indefensible borders of 1967.' Asking to return to these borders would deny a half million Jewish people their rightful home.

Despite what President Barack Obama has said, Israel cannot have peace with a partner that continues on the path of violence and the ultimate destruction of Israel. The Palestinian Authority remains in a pact with the terrorist organization, Hamas, and until that bond is destroyed, Israel cannot be expected to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority. It is incumbent upon Mahmoud Abbas to definitively disclose and support the right of existence of the modern day state of Israel.

As the Prime Minister spoke, I once again recommitted my unwavering determination that the United States must defend Israel from all of its enemies, the same enemies that also want to destroy the United States.

I commend Prime Minister Netanyahu for being a true, visionary leader of the Middle East. America must continue to build an even stronger, more united partnership with Israel, our greatest ally in the Middle East." ###

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Allen West 1708 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 ph: 202-225-3026 • fx: 202-225-8398

IMAGE CREDIT: By AllenWest All Rights Reserved.

Allen West what surprises him most about working in Washington, D.C. VIDEO

The Preamble of the Constitution of the United States defines the Federal Government's role in "providing for the common defense" of our great country. It is not only the primary mission of our government, but the most important obligation our elected leaders have upon accepting the oath of office. As a 22-year Army Veteran who served in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, and as a Civilian Advisor to the Afghan Army in Operation Enduring Freedom, I understand both the gravity of giving the order, and the challenge of carrying it out.

Make no mistake, we are a nation at war against a totalitarian theocratic political ideology that glorifies death rather than celebrating life. To defeat it, we must stay on the offensive. From Afghanistan and Iraq to the Greater Middle East and South America, radical Islam is on the march. And while our attention is focused on combating global terrorism, we must not forget other looming threats just on the horizon in China, North Korea, Venezuela, Russia & Iran. These nations and their leaders represent the biggest threat to our great nation.

As a Member of the House Armed Services Committee, I will work to shape and modernize America's Armed forces to ensure that we are prepared for the strategic challenges ahead. Like President Reagan, I believe that peace is best kept through a strong national defense.

VIDEO CREDIT: The Daily Caller

TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Allen West

Allen West to President Obama, the Hamas run Palestinian state envisioned by you would be devastating to Israel and the worlds 13.3 Jews

(WASHINGTON) --- Congressman Allen West (FL-22) released this statement today:

"Today's endorsement by President Barack Obama of the creation of a Hamas-led Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 borders, signals the most egregious foreign policy decision his administration has made to date, and could be the beginning of the end as we know it for the Jewish state.

From the moment the modern day state of Israel declared statehood in 1948, to the end of the 1967 Six Day War, Jews were forbidden access to their holiest site, the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City, controlled by Jordan's Arab army.

The pre-1967 borders endorsed by President Obama would deny millions of the world's Jews access to their holiest site and force Israel to return the strategically important Golan Heights to Syria, a known state-sponsor of terrorism.

Resorting to the pre-1967 borders would mean a full withdrawal by the Israelis from the West Bank and the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Make no mistake, there has always been a Nation of Israel and Jerusalem has been and must always be recognized as its rightful capital.

In short, the Hamas-run Palestinian state envisioned by President Obama would be devastating to Israel and the world's 13.3 million Jews. It would be a Pavlovian style reward to a declared Islamic terrorist organization, and an unacceptable policy initiative.

America should never negotiate with the Palestinian Authority- which has aligned itself with Hamas. Palestine is a region, not a people or a modern state. Based upon Roman Emperor Hadrian's declaration in 73 AD, the original Palestinian people are the Jewish people.

It's time for the American people to stand by our strongest ally, the Jewish State of Israel, and reject this foreign policy blunder of epic proportions.

While the winds of democracy may blow strong in the Middle East, history has demonstrated that gaps in leadership can lead to despotic regimes. I have questions for President Obama: 'Who will now lead in Egypt?' and 'Why should American taxpayers provide foreign aid to a nation where the next chapter in their history may be the emergence of another radical Islamic state?'

President Obama has not stood for Israel or the Jewish people and has made it clear where the United States will stand when Palestine attempts to gain recognition of statehood by the United Nations. The President should focus on the real obstacle to security- the Palestinian leadership and its ultimate goal to eliminate Israel and the Jewish people." ###


TEXT CREDIT: Congressman Allen West Washington DC Office 1708 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 ph: 202-225-3026 • fx: 202-225-8398

IMAGE CREDIT: SmallBizRepublicans

Allen West Q&A during the Politicizing Procurement Hearing on the DISCLOSE executive order VIDEO

Our Federal Government Shouldn’t be Asking Who’s a Democrat and Who’s a Republican in the Procurement Process, Graves and Issa hold joint hearing to examine DISCLOSE executive order.

WASHINGTON, D.C.— House Small Business Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) and House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-CA) today held a joint Committee hearing to examine President Obama’s proposed Executive Order mandating the disclosure of political donations by government contractors as a prerequisite to receiving a government contract, and evaluate its impact on and consequences for the federal acquisition system.

Since the leak of this proposed executive order in April, Chairman Graves has led the opposition against this attempt to politicize the procurement process. On April 21st, Chairman Graves sent a letter to President Barack Obama objecting to the proposed executive order.

“Our federal government shouldn’t be asking who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican in the procurement process. They ought to be asking who can get the job done well and for the least amount of taxpayer money. Forcing small businesses to disclose political records will allow this Administration to intimidate the business community and reward political allies. It will also force small businesses out of the federal marketplace due to the burden of additional record-keeping administrative duties, the potential civil and criminal liability of miscertification and fear of losing contracts for making the wrong donations. The result will be continued job loss and another blow to our already faltering economy.

“The Administration claims the donation information won’t be used in the decision making process—so the question lingers as to why they would need this information ahead of making the award. This doesn’t pass the smell test if you ask me.

“It is my hope that the President listens to the chorus of opposition from both Republicans and Democrats and abandons this Executive Order.”

Notable Witness Quotes:
Ms. Marion Blakey, CEO or the Aerospace Industries Association, said, “I am here today representing 393 member companies of the aerospace industry and their 800,000 U.S. workers to express our grave concerns about the provisions contained in the draft Executive Order (EO), “Disclosure of Political Spending by Government Contractors. Political contributions should never be considered by any procurement officer when making a decision to either award or deny a contract to any entity. Does providing this information to a procurement official make them any better informed on the merits of a proposal, or simply make them better informed on who has made political contributions to the administration or any other federal candidate?”

Mr. Alan Chvotkin, Executive Vice President and Counsel, Professional Services Council, said, “The truth is that political contributions currently are not, and should not, be disclosed as part of the bidding and source selection process for federal contract awards. Despite the repeated efforts by some to show a link between campaign contributions and contract awards, I am pleased that there is no evidence that campaign contributions—for either president or Congress—have had any impact on any agency’s procurement evaluation or award decisions. Yet the draft executive order takes the ill-conceived approach of injecting that very information into the contracting process, forcing all bidders for federal contracts to collect and disclose that information as part of their bid.”

Mr. Bradley A. Smith, Professor of Law at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio said, “Such an order is, in my mind, ill-advised and represents an attempted power grab by the Obama administration on campaign finance issues. In short, it has three major flaws: it imposes junk disclosure requirements that serve no good purpose, it chills protected political activity, and it seems motivated by simple partisan politics. …[S]kepticism is called for when government begins to regulate political speech. This is because of how incumbent governments, politics, and the enforcement process work. The history of ―reform is in part a history of efforts to silence or cripple political opponents. This current initiative seems no different.”

Contact: DJ Jordan, Wendy Knox 202.225.5821

RESOURCES: Politicizing Procurement: Will President Obama’s Proposal Curb Free Speech and Hurt Small Business? witness testimony and other related hearing documents FULL TEXT in PDF FORMAT.

VIDEO and IMAGE CREDIT: SmallBizRepublicans

TEXT CREDIT: House Small Business Committee 2361 Rayburn House Office Building (RHOB) Washington, D.C. 20515 Phone: (202) 225-5821 Fax: (202) 226-5276

Allen West Welcome to South Florida Mr. President. VIDEO

Welcome to South Florida Mr. President.

You and Ron Klein should leave that closed door, high roller fundraiser, and drive by our shuttered businesses and foreclosed homes.

I'll go anywhere you wish to debate your failed big government policies.

Heck, I'll even debate you and Klein together if that's what it takes.

The people of South Florida deserve a chance to tell you what will work here to improve our economy.

If you don't listen now, the voters will speak loud in November.

TEXT and VIDEO CREDIT: AllenWestForCongress