Ted Yoho
Theodore Scott Yoho is an American politician, veterinarian, and businessman who has served as the U.S. Representative from since 2013. He is a member of the Republican Party. In the 2012 Republican primary election for the district, Yoho pulled a major upset against long-term incumbent U.S. Congressman Cliff Stearns, who had first been elected in 1988. Prior to being elected to Congress, Yoho had been a veterinarian and small business owner in North Central Florida for 30 years. In December 2019, Yoho announced that, honoring his term-limit pledge, he would not run for re-election to Congress in 2020.
Early life, education, and veterinarian career
Yoho was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on April 13, 1955. At age 11, he moved with his family to Florida, where he attended school with his future wife, Carolyn, in the 4th grade.Yoho earned his AA degree at Broward Community College. He earned a baccalaureate in animal science at the University of Florida in 1983 and thereafter attended the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine, from which he received a doctorate in veterinary medicine. He is a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association, Florida Veterinary Medical Association, Florida Association of Equine Practitioners, Florida Cattlemen's Association, and the National Rifle Association.
U.S. House of Representatives
2012 election
Yoho ran for the newly-redrawn. In the Republican primary he defeated longtime incumbent U.S. Congressman Cliff Stearns, State Senator Steve Oelrich, and Clay County Clerk of Court James Jett 34%–33%–19%–14%. Yoho defeated Stearns by 829 votes, or a 1.1 percentage point margin. Yoho won 11 of the district's 13 counties.Yoho won the November general election, 65% to 32%, against Democratic candidate J.R. Gaillot.
Tenure
Yoho took office on January 3, 2013. He is a member of the Tea Party Caucus and the House Liberty Caucus. He says that he supports reduction in taxes: replacing the current tax code with the Fair Tax, reducing corporate tax rates, and eliminating federal programs that cannot be balanced with revenues. According to the CBO, there would still be a deficit even if all discretionary spending were stopped. Yoho advocates reducing spending and taxes, though has not yet introduced a plan that will lead to a balanced budget.Yoho also is opposed to raising the debt ceiling unless significant spending cuts are made; he is also opposed to earmarks in legislation. His district is one of the lowest-taxed in Florida, located primarily within Suwannee River Management District, per capita retail sales in the district are significantly lower than the state average, and it has the fewest non-farm related businesses of Florida's congressional districts. Yoho has not made any indication on his level support of the farm bill.
In 2014, Yoho was challenged by conservative Republican Jake Rush for his seat. Rush painted Yoho as a "liberal" and appealed to voters' conservatism to try to win the Republican nomination.
In 2015, Yoho mounted a campaign to challenge John Boehner for the Speakership of the US House of Representatives in an attempt to get the conference to the second ballot. The block of dissenting members were four votes shy of achieving their goal. Of the 435 congressmen and congresswomen eligible to vote, Yoho received only two votes.
He and his Democratic colleague John Conyers offered bipartisan amendments to block the U.S. military training of Ukraine's Azov Battalion of the Ukrainian National Guard. Some members of the battalion are openly white supremacists.
Controversies
In 2013, he became widely known for his position on breaching the debt ceiling and defaulting on the national debt, which he claimed "would bring stability to the world markets." This position was widely panned by Democrats and some Republicans such as fellow Republican Reid Ribble, who called the position "crazy talk."In July 2020, Yoho got into a heated exchange with Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez over her public comments that an increase of crime in New York City was due to the high rise in poverty. According to a reporter from The Hill who overheard the conversation, the congressman called her "disgusting" and "out of your freaking mind." Ocasio-Cortez called him "rude," and reporters overheard Yoho calling her a "fucking bitch" as he walked away from the conversation. Ocasio-Cortez confirmed the incident on Twitter and on the House floor, but Yoho's office denied his comments, claiming that he "made a brief comment to himself as he walked away summarizing what he believes her policies to be: bullshit." He later addressed the incident on the House floor, saying, "Having been married for 45 years with two daughters, I'm very cognizant of my language. The offensive name calling, words attributed to me by the press were never spoken to my colleagues and if they were construed that way, I apologize for their misunderstanding." In July 2020, Nydia Velázquez, a fellow Puerto Rican woman in congress, sat behind Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and nodded in agreement as Ocasio-Cortez addressed Congress and rebuked Yoho for having called her "a fucking bitch". In response, Ocasio-Cortez said, "Having a daughter does not make a man decent. Having a wife does not make a decent man. Treating people with dignity and respect makes a decent man." On July 25, 2020 Bread for the World, a Christian non-profit organization, announced Yoho would no longer serve on its board, noting that Yoho's "recent actions and words as reported in the media are not reflective of the ethical standards expected of members of our Board of Directors."
Legislation
During his first term of office, Yoho sponsored eighteen bills. One of the bills introduced during his first term, the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act of 2014, was passed by the House, but never voted on by the Senate.Yoho co-authored the Veterinary Medicine Mobility Act of 2014, a bill that would amend the Controlled Substances Act to clarify that veterinarians are not required to have separate registrations to dispense controlled substances outside of their principal place of business, such as when treating animals on a farm.
Yoho is a co-sponsor of the Defund Planned Parenthood Act of 2015. It has not moved since passing the House on September 18, 2015.
On June 9, 2016, Yoho voted Nay on the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act to restructure Puerto Rican debt. The Republican-authored bill passed the House with bipartisan support.
Committee assignments
- Committee on Agriculture
- * Subcommittee on Horticulture, Research, Biotechnology, and Foreign Agriculture
- * Subcommittee on Livestock, Rural Development, and Credit
- * Subcommittee on Nutrition
- Committee on Foreign Affairs
- * Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific
- Republican Study Committee
Caucus memberships
- United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus
- Freedom Caucus
- Veterinary Medicine Caucus
Political positions
Gun policy
Yoho has stated that "the right to bear arms is a birthright and should never be threatened."Yoho is a gun owner. He supports concealed carry laws and carries his gun with him when at home in Florida. Yoho has compared carrying a gun to carrying a cell phone in one's pocket. He says "I have the right to protect myself," regarding concealed carry and "I feel like I have a very good aim. My wife is better." He has co-sponsored bills to allow lawmakers to carry guns at the US Capitol and additional bills to allow individuals to carry guns nationwide, regardless of state law.
In 2012, Yoho stated, "I am proud to say I hold an A rating from the NRA".
From 2015–2016, Yoho accepted US$1,000 in direct campaign contributions from the NRA's Political Victory Fund; from 2012–2018, his total is US$4,000 from NRA sources.
In March 2017, Yoho voted in favor of the Veterans Second Amendment Protection Act, which would have allowed veterans who are considered "mentally incompetent" to purchase ammunition and firearms unless declared a danger by a judge.
The measure passed the House of Representatives, but ultimately stalled in the Senate. Yoho was of the original co-sponsors of H.J.Res.40, which successfully used the Congressional Review Act to block implementation of an Obama-era amendment to the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 that was aimed at preventing the mentally-infirm from legally purchasing firearms.