House Republican calls for congressional oversight of foreign policy

Rep. Dan Burton (R-Ind.), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for increased and routine congressional oversight of U.S. foreign policy in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya that resulted in the death of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.

"We should not turn over to unelected bureaucrats the control of our foreign policy," Burton said on the House floor Friday afternoon. "We should listen to them, we should have our ambassadors over there, we should have good people over there like the ambassador, that just lost his life.

"But the final decisions ought to be brought before the committees of the Congress, and we ought to discuss them, and we ought to participate in the decision-making process with the commander in chief. But not let unelected leaders, bureaucrats, make those decisions."

He also said his prescription for foreign policy would be to make U.S. interests a priority.

"Of secondary importance are the lives of these people in these countries that are radical."

Burton interrupted the Thursday vote on a six-month spending bill over complaints that the bill would allow U.S. resources to be sent to Libya and Egypt. On Friday, he reiterated his disappointment that the United States is not moving to shut off aid to these countries in the wake of the attacks on U.S. diplomatic outposts in the Middle East.

"I came down to the floor when the discussion was going on ... and I said, tell me, is any of that money going to Libya or Egypt? And nobody would answer me," Burton said.

"But I can tell you right now, additional monies are going to go to Libya, and additional monies are going to go to Egypt, and both of those countries are not friends of the United States."

Burton was followed on the floor by Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), who has spoken about the attacks every day this week. Gohmert indicated that he believes a video hosted online negatively depicting the Prophet Muhammad, which first came out over the summer and was cited by some as the reason for the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Egypt, was purposefully released by someone in Egypt before the 9/11 anniversary to spark the violence.

Gohmert added that the United States needs to find out who released it.

"I would submit that until we find out, there should not be a dime of American money nor money that Americans have had to borrow in order to send to Egypt," Gohmert said. "It shouldn't go over there. It shouldn't go to Libya."

The House adjourned for the week immediately after Gohmert spoke.

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