Rep. Mike Waltz Tells Newsmax: Biden’s Policies Are Giving Strength to the Houthis

President Joe Biden ending the terrorist designation on the Iran-backed Houthi rebels left the United States without the authority to take measures against them unless they launch attacks first, creating further danger in the Middle East, Rep. Michael Waltz, R-Fla., told Newsmax on Thursday.

“Donald Trump labeled them what they are, which are Iranian-backed terrorists, and Biden lifted that designation as part of his Iran appeasement campaign, as part of his dream to get back into the Iran deal,” Waltz told “Wake Up America.” “We could have all the Navy ships in the world in that region, but they don’t have the authority to take care of the problem right now. They only have the authority to shoot down the missiles being shot at them in self-defense.”

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters Wednesday the White House is considering whether to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organization once again. However, he did not give a deadline for a decision on the matter.

But Waltz said that situation will provoke even worse behavior from the Houthis rebels who have been targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea.

“When the bad guy, the criminal, the dictator, the bully knows that you’re not going to do anything in response, what are they going to do?” Waltz asked. “They’re going to keep pushing and they’re going to keep getting away with it because they know they can.”

He acknowledged a terrorist designation would not necessarily lead to preemptive fire on the rebels, “but it absolutely would help.”

“What it would also get to is the money, the resources, the training, and the international banking system, all of those things, in terms of how Iran is supporting the Houthis,” Waltz added.

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden still needs to give the U.S. Navy the authority to take kinetic action, “which they do not.”

The situation matters to all Americans, Waltz continued, because when major international shipping companies are saying they will not allow travel through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal, “everything gets more expensive, including oil.”

“Not only do we feel that in terms of inflation and at the gas pump, but Iran gets richer and Russia gets richer with the price of oil,” Waltz said. “We’re literally in this negative spiral because of Biden’s bad policy.”

Meanwhile, when people in Biden’s administration “come to the podium and say our main goal is non-escalation, the Iranians, the Houthis, the terrorists see that as an opportunity,” Waltz said. “Biden did the same thing with [Vladimir] Putin. He’s so afraid that he’s causing more conflict. The weakness is causing the conflict because the terrorists and the dictators when they smell weakness, they see opportunity and they’re going to push.”

Waltz also commented on reports the Biden administration is pushing Israel to pull back on its assault in Gaza, saying such signaling is “not helpful” to the Israelis.

“They’re putting more pressure on Israel than they are the terrorists,” he said. “I think it plays into the terrorists’ hand. It signals to the world that their propaganda is working when their goal is to turn global opinion against Israel. You see Israel’s greatest ally getting weak-kneed in terms of its support for Israel. I think that emboldens the terrorists.”

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